Life's little surprises
by ab89us
Summary: Kensi Blye has been prepared her whole life on how to handle situations from hot wiring a car to stopping a terrorist attack, but when a series of events turns her whole life around, she finds herself unprepared. Co-authored with Oranfly
1. Chapter 1

A/N: This is my first time writing for this show, so please be nice. This is co-authored with Oranfly who, being the amazing friend she is, got my addicted to this show (thanks!). Oranfly and I have alternated chapters so you'll see both our styles of writing throughout this.

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Rain in Los Angeles was like snow; it was rare to see and threw everyone into a state of panic. Or at least that was what if felt like while stuck in the worlds slowest moving traffic jam. Kensi swore loudly into the empty cab of her car when the vehicle in front of her crawled forward an inch and then slammed their breaks on.

By all means, she should be home and in her bed sleeping, but as luck would have it, she had hit the highway just in time for the sky to open up and dump torrential rain onto the city making it hard to see and even harder to drive.

"Come on move!" She yelled angrily and was rewarded with a few more inches of covered road. It was close to another hour later when she pulled off the highway and into easy flowing traffic that would lead her to the store and then to her apartment.

Once Kensi got home, she dropped her shopping bags and keys onto the counter and flipped on the kitchen light before putting everything away. It had been a stressful day of chasing suspects, protecting the whole country from a terrorist threat, and filing pile after pile of mind numbing paperwork. It was a relief to be home and in the comfort of her own space.

She grabbed a box of Oreos from the cupboard and a jar of peanut butter before heading over to the couch and sinking down into its comfort with a sigh of joy. Kensi turned the TV on and flipped through the channels until she found a life time movie that looked semi promising and started in on her not so healthy dinner.

Before she knew it, the low rumbling of thunder and the constant tapping of rain against the roof and windows had lulled her to sleep. She didn't get to stay that way for long though as the shrill ringing of her phone caused her eyes to pop back open and a heavy sigh to break free from her lips.

"Blye," she answered drowsily and sat up.

"Ms. Blye, this is Heather Rice, I work for Child Protective Services." A woman on the other end of the line stated.

Kensi rubbed the sleep from her eyes and focused a bit more before responding again. "What can I help you with?"

"Ms. Blye, I have it listed here that you were friends with Maria and Thomas Andrews." Heather Rice said.

Kensi scrunched up her brow for a second before remembering exactly who the woman was referring to. She had been roommates with Maria all through college and had been friends with her and her boyfriend Thomas whom she later married. She hadn't talked to either Maria or Thomas in more than 5 years. Honestly after so many cases and faces, it was hard to keep track of people and she hadn't really made much of an effort to keep in touch with them.

"Yes." She finally answered and heard a sympathetic sigh from the other woman.

"I'm sorry to inform you of this, but both Mr. and Mrs. Andrews were killed earlier today in an automobile accident." Heather Rice rattled off in a way that made Kensi wonder how many times she had broken this type of news.

"Oh." Kensi said, feeling a small pang in the bottom of her stomach.

"Ms. Blye, I need you to come down to the police station so that I can meet up with you." The other woman stated.

"Why?" Kensi asked confused, as she shifted on the couch for a more comfortable position.

"There are some details that we need to go over and that would be best discussed in person." Heather explained. "Do you think you could come to the station tonight? These matters need to be addressed in a timely manner."

"Okay." Kensi slowly answered and stood up, completely at a loss for why she was needed and what had to be talked about. "Um, I can be there in a little bit."

"Great." The other woman audibly sighed in relief. "I will be waiting for you."

"Yeah," Kensi said and hung up without a goodbye.

She then dropped her phone onto the couch and stretched before picking up the remains of her meal and grabbed up her car keys again. Kensi then headed back to her car and started to drive.

One thing that some would consider a perk and others blight, was that her place was located only a few miles from the police station. Kensi liked it on most days when she had nothing to do with the place, but disliked it when she had to deal with any of the inmates. Everyone there knew her, making it impossible for her to go in and out without fuss. It was one thing she hated about living in the suburbs.

"Good evening Ms. Blye." An older officer, Frank Hurst, greeted her.

He was about the same age her father would have been and always liked to make sure she was taken care of during the times she worked with them.

"Good evening Frank." She politely responded.

A few other officers greeted her on her way through the building until she reached the main office and was told where to find Heather Rice. Kensi knocked on the door and was greeted by a middle aged black woman with a buzz cut head of bleached hair. She smiled at Kensi and gestured of her to take a seat at the table located in the middle of the small room.

"What is this about?" Kensi asked once the other woman had sat down across from her and glanced at her watch.

"Well we're actually just waiting on a judge who should be here soon to explain everything and to bring you up to speed." Heather said and let out an agreeable noise when the door opened and the judge in question walked into the room.

He was an older gentleman with a rounded belly and a balding head. He looked at them grimly and then took a seat and flopped a heavy looking briefcase on the surface in front of him.

"My name is judge Ernest Markel." He introduced himself and pulled a thick package of papers out and flipped through them. "I was the testator for the will composed by Maria and Thomas Andrews. It is my job now to read the will as pertains to Ms. Kensi Marie Blye. You are Ms. Blye correct?" He turned and looked at Kensi who nodded. "Good, now let's continue."

Kensi watched him settle into the chair a bit more and clear his throat before he found the place he was looking for and looked more grim than before, causing her curiosity to go into overload.

"Only part of this pertains to you, though it is a rather large part. Are you ready to hear it?" Judge Markel asked. Kensi nodded again. "Alright, in the event that both of us, Maria and Thomas Andrews die, we wish to see the guardianship of our three children, William, Elijah and Isla, to go to William's godmother Kensi Marie Blye. We believe that Ms. Blye is the most suited individual for this task and that she will care for our children in the way that they need."

Kensi stared at the judge open mouthed and glanced over at Heather who nodded slowly.

"They, they want me…They want me to raise their, their kids?" Kensi stammered.

"That is the desire, though I want you to be aware that you do not have to take on this responsibility." Judge Markel announced.

Kensi rubbed her hands over her tired eyes and let out a heavy sigh. "What will happen to them if I don't take them?"

"Well they'll go into foster care." Heather stated. "We would try to keep them together and to find them a good home, but there are no promises of that."

"What about their family can't someone they are biologically related to take them in?" Kensi asked.

"The only other person suitable for caring for the children is their aunt who is considerably younger than their father was. She's currently 19 years old and going to college." Heather explained.

"So it's either me or foster care?"

"Yes, however you don't need to make this decision now. You have two weeks to decide what to do." Judge Markel claimed.

"Two weeks," She mumbled to herself and leaned back in her chair.

She had two weeks to decide the fate of three innocent children. To decide whether she would take on the role of parent to them, or if she would let the state take over and place them into foster care where they would more than likely end up separated in the end and in different families; assuming that they all got adopted and went to loving parents. It was a lot to take in.

"Would I meet them first and how would I go about preparing to take them if I do decide to become their guardian?" Kensi slowly questioned.

"You would be assigned a social worker who would do a walkthrough of your place to see if it is suitable for children. If the place you have is not child friendly or big enough to house more than yourself and possibly one child, then you would be required to find a new place that is big enough and that has a safe environment. You would be able to set up visitation with the children so that you could meet them first and so that they can get used to the idea of having you in their lives. They are still very young and they are confused. The eldest, William, is old enough to know what is going on but his younger brother Elijah and younger sister Isla are too young to grasp the concept of death." Heather explained.

"So it wouldn't be like they would just show up at my place one day and that would be it?" Kensi sighed in relief. "What about after? If I do take them in would there be any follow up or anything that I would have to do to ensure they continue to stay with me?"

"You would become their guardian, or in other terms, their foster mother. You would be treated like other foster parents where you would have monthly checkups with the social worker and the children would have checkups as well to make sure that everything is going well. After a while, if you wanted, you could adopt the children." Heather said.

"I'm definitely going to have to think about this." Kensi almost whispered.

"Of course, however after the two weeks by law they would have to go into foster care, so you'd need to decide before then. If not and you decide after the two weeks, then it could be very hard to extract them from the homes that they were placed in. We tend to keep siblings together if possible, but sometimes it doesn't work and they get split up against our wishes. Kids get shuffled around a lot from house to house and family to family." Heather sadly remarked.

"I'll…I'll try to decide before the two week mark." Kensi promised.

"Okay, now do you have any further questions?"

"Not at the moment." Kensi shook her head.

"Alright, well I will call you again in a few days' time so touch base and see if you have made a decision. If you want to contact me, feel free." Heather handed her a business card.

"Okay." Kensi pocketed the card and shook hands with Heather and then Judge Markel.

The three of them said their goodbyes, and Kensi headed back to her apartment, exhausted and wanting nothing more than to sleep.

She once again tossed her phone onto the couch and her keys on the counter, before she headed into her room and changed into some pajamas. Kensi crawled into bed and pulled the covers up to her chin in hopes of getting at least a few hours of sleep before work, but quickly found that her brain was too busy going over everything that she had just found out and been told, to let sleep in.

It was so much to take in, too much even. To go from being a single person living the life of someone who only had to care about herself and on occasion, her partner, to having three kids almost thrown on her. She wasn't mother material that she had known for years. While other women she knew dreamed about the perfect husband and a great house with a white picket fence and 2.3 kids, she dreamed about the cases that they had worked and the weapons she had used. She wasn't what these kids deserved. But was she what they needed?

Could she really decide against taking them in and leave them in the foster care system? She knew that Callen had gone through over thirty families, not all of them good. The poor guy didn't even know what his first name was. Could she subject innocent children to that?

She reached over and grabbed the pillow next to her and pressed her face into it while letting out a deep groan of frustration before letting it flop back onto the bed, her eyes closed.

"What am I going to do?" She asked into the silent room hoping for an answer, but knowing she wouldn't get one. Ultimately it would be her decision to make, no one else's and it terrified her like nothing else ever had.

She could take on terrorist threats, shootouts and being shot, but when it came to three little kids, it felt like she was preparing to face a firing squad hell bent on making her life more difficult.

Giving up on sleep, she got back out of bed and dressed into running gear in hopes that the fresh air and run would help clear her mind and make this decision easier. Kensi left her apartment and stretched before taking a deep breath and running off into the early morning light.

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	2. Chapter 2

Thank you all for the reviews! This will be updated every Friday.

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Given the long night and lack of sleep, Kensi was still surprised with herself when she managed to stagger into OSP just before nine in the morning and with almost no attention drawn in her direction as she plopped into her desk chair and dropped her bag down beside her. Her stomach gave a very unladylike growl that earned her a wary look from both Sam and Callen who were working away silently for now. Fighting a long sigh, she silently hoped her partner would bring her food of some kind. She'd eat anything about now and coffee. She could mainline the brown stuff of Gods. Her computer was just booting up when she heard old familiar whistle and shuffle of her partner as he made his presence known.

"Goooooooood morning everyone," Deeks drawled, dropping a bag of powdered donuts onto her own desk.

She managed to chirp out some kind of response before diving into the bag and inhaling the two donuts in the bag without breathing. When she glanced up from in front of her, the entire team was staring at her with varying expressions of disbelief.

"Whu?" She asked, mouth still half full of unchewed donut.

"Did you forget to eat yesterday, or something?" Deeks asked with a raised eyebrow. "Oh, and you have powder…" he motioned to his own face and then spread his arms out. "Just everywhere."

Kensi glowered at him before swallowing her last bite and trying to clean herself up. "Don't suppose you brought coffee too?"

"No, but if I did I have this strong inkling that you would've burned your throat and mouth with it," Deeks drawled back as he took his seat and started up his own lap top.

Kensi's shoulders sagged as she realized she'd probably have to wait until lunch or a case to pop up for coffee. In the meantime, she typed in her password and tapped her fingers on the desk to herself awake through the startup time. When she was finally rewarded with her background of the team lined up in seats at a local bar she opened up her most recent report. Maybe some good old fashioned work would distract her mind from last night for just a little bit. Time was blurred as the normal sounds of OSP filled the air around her and she worked steadily.

A sharp whistle broke the steady hum of people before Eric's voice came over head. "Got a case!"

Kensi blinked rapidly before refocusing on her computer screen and her stomach did an awkward flip when she realized she had been googling baby and toddler sites for parents without even realizing it.

"Hey, you okay?" Deeks voice came from behind her and she nearly jumped out of her seat before exiting the internet browser as quickly as possible and shutting her lap top.

"Yeah, fine," she responded almost too quickly.

He gave her that knowing look like he didn't believe her for a second, but she just hoped he hadn't seen her screen before she could exit out. She wasn't ready to bring another opinion into her latest life altering decision. She would make this decision on her own just like she'd be raising these children on her own if she accepted the responsibility.

"I didn't get much sleep last night is all," Kensi mumbled. "Just really tired."

"Mmhmmm," Deeks murmured, eyeing her suspiciously.

"Come on, we got a case to be briefed on," Kensi half shoved him in the direction of the stairs and followed behind.

Much to Kensi's disappointment, the case ended up being a smaller one that involved Callen and Sam getting to leave while she and Deeks would look through scanned LAPD records while at OSP.

"Please bring coffee on the way back," she begged of the two lucky agents who got to leave. "Please?!"

"Yeah, yeah," Sam laughed.

"So long as you don't spill it everywhere like those donuts," Callen added. "I found some powdered sugar on my paper outbox."

"Fine, I promise," Kensi sighed dramatically as she plopped back down at her desk.

"And no more powdered donuts!" Callen called back, giving Deeks the friendly glare.

"Yeah, shoulda seen that one coming," Deeks agreed with a short laugh and took his seat at his own desk. "Hey!"

Kensi had walloped him in the side of the head with her stress ball that Hetty had gotten the team a couple months back.

"Now I'm gonna keep it," Deeks grinned as he dropped the ball into a desk drawer.

"I'll find it later," Kensi grinned before returning to the task at hand.

All through the next few hours her brain was going haywire and exhausting itself even faster for it. One minute she would be thinking about all the freedom she would lose if she took on not one, but three kids. No more girl's nights out with drinking and going home with some random guy for a one night stand. No more late nights at OSP even without having to hire a babysitter and then what kind of parent would she be if she let a babysitter practically raise them because she was barely around.

But then again, these kids needed each other, more than anything and if she didn't step up to the plate and take them in; they probably wouldn't even have each other.

The again, she was a slob and these kids would need some semblance of order. Would there be soccer games? Baseball? Ballet? How could she possibly manage all that by herself and with one of the most dangerous jobs in the country?

She couldn't help but think back to the last time she had seen Maria and Thomas. They had all gone out for breakfast at a pancake place on the other side of town and that was when they had given her the news of their first pregnancy. She was thrilled for them, of course, but at that time she had thought that they were just so young. Maria was 22 and Thomas 23 and they had all just finished college. How could they possibly have been ready? But then she saw the looks on their faces when they shared the news. Thomas was doting and beeming between Kensi and Maria, but staring mostly at Maria as if he couldn't believe his luck. And Maria was glowing all on her own and her smile never fell even the tiniest bit. Kensi had never seen anyone so happy before and that last image of her two friends had stuck with her to this day. How could she leave the kids they were so happy to have conceived with some stranger who couldn't tell them stories of their parents and keep them together?

"Is everything okay over there?" Deeks' voice broke her contemplation.

"Yeah, why?" Kensi asked, finally glancing up at him.

"Because you're growling," Deeks pointed out.

"I am not!" Kensi said in indignation.

"You are too, which means you're thinking awfully hard on something," Deeks countered flatly.

"I do not growl while I think," Kensi pouted, trying to go back to ignoring him.

"I suppose you're right, but you do growl when you're frustrated with what you're thinking," Deeks grinned.

"Gah! What does it matter to you?" Kensi snipped, frustrated that he was getting to her. She didn't have time for this. She needed to think long and hard and make the right decision.

"Ms. Blye," Hetty's voice came from nearby. "May I have a word?"

Saved by Hetty, Kensi thought to herself and stuck her tongue out her partner as she followed their boss.

"Real mature!" He called after her.

"Please have a seat," Hetty waved a hand at the seat from across the desk and sat down herself. "First, I want to relay my condolences to you on your loss."

It was like a lightning bolt had gone down her spine and she up straight. Of course Hetty would've found out somehow. Her eyes began to water and she blinked past the tears.

"Thank you," Kensi murmured, trying to force her body to relax.

"If you need any time off, you only have to say," Hetty added, folding her hands on top of her desk.

"I know," Kensi said softly. "I might need a half day to attend the funeral, but I'm not sure when that is yet."

Hetty nodded. "Just let me know so I can make sure the day is clear for you and your partner."

Kensi gave her boss a very curious look and as if she could read her mind she replied.

"You aren't planning on keeping your partner in the dark, are you Ms. Blye?" Hetty asked with only mild skepticism. "I'd think he would be very disappointed if you chose not to confide in him with this and he would want to be there for you."

"I know," Kensi sighed. "If you know about my friends' deaths then you know about their kids and the decision I have. I need to make that decision on my own and without his influence."

"I concur, but I wouldn't leave him out all together," Hetty suggested and Kensi nodded her agreement. She knew how she would feel if he'd kept a close friend's death from her if he was hurting from it and she could help. "Besides, he does look sharp in a suit, but don't tell him I said that."

Kensi almost choked on a laugh and nodded. She definitely couldn't deny that.

DKDKDKDKDKDKDKDKDKDKDKDKDK

Deeks had been distracted by Kensi being distracted for the last four days now and he was ready to throw the towel in and shake some answers out of her. Though they still partook in their usual banter, it lacked some life coming from her. She was always exhausted and sometimes even forgot to eat meals if he wasn't there to provide something or remind her. Case and example, he was bringing by a pizza to her place tonight because they hadn't had much time to eat that day and after catching zoning out so many times he knew he needed to step up and say something soon. They've been lucky enough to avoid shoot outs so far this week, but if this continued on, then they might start having problems if she didn't snap out of whatever funk she was in. Shifting the pizza over to the side where he held Monty's leash, he knocked on her door and waited.

And waited a bit more.

"Kens I know you're in there!" Deeks called through the door after knocking again.

The door then opened to reveal his seen-better-days looking partner.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Deeks was immediately on high alert as he took in the messy hair and tear tracks down her cheeks. He moved past her to set the pizza box down and let Monty off his leash before he confronted her again. "Kens, you're making me worry here."

Kensi shook her head and tried to force the tears to stop. She'd have to tell him something now.

"My college roommate and her husband, who was also my friend, died in an accident earlier this week," Kensi got out, biting her lip so she could control her emotions better.

"Oh man, that's why…" Deeks' voice faded as he thought back to the quiet blandness that his partner had been for the last few days. "I'm so sorry."

He closed the gap between them and held her close, letting her head rest on his chest.

"I wish you would've said something sooner," Deeks said softly into her hair, refusing to let her go just yet. "I could've been there for you."

"You are now," Kensi mumbled into his chest. "Do you think you could come to the funeral with me tomorrow?"

"Of course, princess," Deeks agreed. "Anything you need."

KDKDKDKDKDKDKDKDKDKDKDKD

It was a testament to just how distracted Kensi was that she let Deeks drive them to the cemetery where the service would be held. She felt like she had been in some kind of trance when she had dressed that morning in a knee length black dress that had flow to it and short sleeves. She'd barely even acknowledged Deeks when he came to pick her up dressed in a sharp black suit and tie, with his hair even combed.

What snapped her out of her trance was the sight of three young children standing to the side of the furthest casket. The oldest came up just past her hip and had dark brown hair with streaks of auburn that showed only in the sun. Upon closer inspection his eyes were a bright green and shining with unshed tears. His chin was tilted up and his gaze steady as he stared past the scene. He looked like he was trying so hard to stay strong and Kensi wanted nothing more than to hold him and tell him he could cry all he wanted. The middle child came up just past the oldest boy's hip, but he looked much different, favoring his father's features of dark blonde hair that curled. The rest was all Maria though with the dark brown eyes and medium skin tone. This boy openly cried, but did not make a huge scene of it. The tears spilled over his chubby cheeks and she imagined he had to be so confused. The youngest was in the arms of the oldest and remained calm through the whole service. She had dark brown hair like her oldest brother that curled, but the dark eyes of Maria. This little girl would probably grow up to be a carbon copy of her mother and a sob stuck in her throat.

"Kens, I'm right here," Deeks murmured, slipping an arm around her waist as they took a place among the crowd. "I'm not going anywhere."

Kensi nodded but couldn't drag her eyes away from the three children and she knew she would do what it took to adopt them.

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	3. Chapter 3

Thank you all for the wonderful reviews so far. We are both very glad to get them :)

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Kensi could and would never claim to be someone who was organized or kept a clean home. On any given day her apartment looked like it had been ransacked and then attacked with a leaf blower. But now it was even worse and looked like a library had exploded in it. There were so many books of different size and color that they formed leaning towards that threatened to fall at a seconds notice and had so many different colored sticky notes inside them that they could barely close properly.

Each book held a similar title, "Parenting for dummies", "How to handle adoptive children", "Foster children 101…" They had all been purchased shortly after Kensi had made up her mind about adopting the children, and some of them had even been recommended by her new social worker Jeffry McDowell who had instantly started filling her in on what the children were like and what she could expect from social services. He was currently in the process of setting up visitation for her to meet the children for herself.

He had promised her that he would try and get something set up for the next day which was something that both made her feel elated and terrified. To be honest, it was completely stressing her out, especially after Jeffry had stopped by the apartment and deemed it unfit for more than one person. He had then run through a list of things that the kids were going to need, a list that had to have been long enough to fill a small book or a large pamphlet.

It was all stuff she knew was important though and had jotted everything done for purchase when she got the chance to go shopping. The first thing she had to do though was find a house that was affordable and big enough for a family of four. So far she had looked through dozens of newspapers and gone onto online sites, but hadn't found anything she liked.

"This is impossible." She groaned and rubbed at her tired eyes before noticing the time and realizing that if she didn't get moving, she would be late for work.

OSP was fairly quiet when she got there, ten minutes late. Callen and Sam were standing off to the side talking about something while Deeks was at his computer typing away. He looked up when she entered and furrowed his brow at the dark circles under her eyes.

"Are you okay?" He asked when she sat down.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Kensi smiled at him and took a large gulp of the coffee that she had with her. "Why do you ask?"

"Well ever since the funeral, you've looked more haggard than anything else and you can't say it's the late nights working since you've gone home every night the past couple of days." Deeks pointed out.

"I just have a lot on my mind." Kensi shrugged and turned towards Hetty when she walked into the bullpen.

"Ms. Blye, can I have a word?" Hetty asked.

Deeks watched Kensi stand up and follow Hetty to her office, curiosity raging inside his mind until he gave in and stealthily got closer to the office without looking obvious.

"So tomorrow will be a big day." Hetty said in response to something Kensi must have mentioned.

"I'm going to have to get a new place, I've been looking around." Kensi said.

"Oh well of course you'll need a new place. Your apartment is a nice size for just you, but you're going to add onto your family soon." Hetty said, making Deeks's eyes widen and his heart feel like a vice grip had been placed around it.

"Yeah it's going to be a big change." Kensi sighed. "But it doesn't really feel like there is another option, I can't just not do this, you know?"

"I think I can understand. Have you told Mr. Deeks what is going on?" Hetty asked.

"No." Kensi slowly answered and groaned. "Hetty this is going to change everything you know that. No more late nights or taking unneeded risks. There might be days when I show up late or where I won't show up at all. I'm not sure how much use I'll be to the team either."

"You'll adjust." Hetty lightly promised.

Deeks saw her stand up and carefully made his way back to his desk, waiting for his partner to come back. When she did, it was only for her to look more tired than she had before. She gave him a small look and then sank down into her chair.

"Kens what's going on?" Deeks ventured to ask when she opened her computer.

Kensi thought about it for a moment and bit her bottom lip. "A lot is going on Deeks. I haven't really wrapped my head around it. All that I can focus on right now is the fact that I need a bigger house."

"How big do you need?" Deeks leaned back in his chair.

"At least three bedrooms and a nice yard," Kensi stated.

Deeks scrunched up his brow at that, thinking that she would say something along the lines of a smaller house than three bedrooms.

"I have a friend in real-estate…"

"Of course you do," Kensi cut him off with a light chuckle.

"That might have something that you would like." Deeks finished. "If you want I can call him and see if he'll meet with you."

Kensi smiled at him and nodded. "That would actually be great. I've been running into all kinds of dead ends when it comes to finding a nice house that I can actually afford."

"That's probably because you're picky." Deeks pointed out, his heart still feeling like a boa constrictor was coiling around it.

The thought of Kensi being pregnant by some guy she had taken home for a one night stand, was not sitting well with him. He wasn't fool enough to try and convince himself that his feelings for Kensi didn't run deeper than partners and friends. His feelings for her had been strong since they had first met but were securely cemented in his heart when they had gone undercover as a married couple and she had kissed him. Sure it had been a 'save our ass' type of kiss, but it had been enough.

"I'm not picky, I just need a place that is big enough for more than one person and that has a good yard, safe neighborhood, friendly neighbors, a safe park nearby and a great school system." Kensi rattled off and raised an eyebrow at his incredulous look.

"Yeah you're not picky at all." Deeks rolled his eyes. "And why do you need all that anyway?"

"Can you call your friend please and see if he has anything that fits those parameters?" Kensi asked.

Deeks grumbled something about keeping secrets but called his friend anyway and got a meeting set up for later that day. Kensi had smiled her thanks and they had gone back to work. It wasn't until later that afternoon that Kensi was able to get away and head out to her car. She stopped short though when she noticed that Deeks was following her.

"What are you doing?" She questioned.

"I'm coming with you." Deeks pointed out matter of fact.

"Uh, no you're not."

"Uh, yes I am." Deeks insisted. "Tanner is a friend of mine and will find you a better deal if I'm with you. So unless you want to be paying for this house for the rest of your life, it might be best to bring me along."

"Fine," She huffed and they got into the car.

She wasn't really sure what she had expected, but Tanner Green was nothing like she thought he would be. He was well dressed, well-mannered and an altogether nice guy. He had compiled a list of different houses that fit most if not all of her wants, and provided pictures of each before bringing her from house to house. It wasn't until they reached the third house that Kensi stopped short and just stared at it.

It was a simple two story house with plumb and gray siding. It had four bedrooms, 2.5 bathrooms and a two car garage. There was a small but useful yard attached that would be great for three young kids to play in and was in an amazing town with one of the best school systems California had to offer. It was perfect.

"I love it." Kensi declared and looked at Tanner who looked like Christmas had come early.

It wasn't exactly a cheap house and was one that would get him a great commission.

"I can start getting the papers together for it." He stated. "How soon would you need to be able to move in?"

"Within the next couple of days if possible," Kensi announced causing Deeks's eyes to widen in surprise.

"Okay are you going to tell me what is going on?" He asked when Tanner practically skipped away to his car. "You've been tired lately and stressed, now you're looking at buying a house suited for a decent size family…Kens, be honest with me here, are you pregnant?"

"Deeks, I would kind of need a social life and a boyfriend in order to be pregnant, don't you think?" Kensi asked, her arms crossed over her chest.

"Then what the hell is going on with you?" He mimicked her stance, getting a bit impatient with her avoiding the truth.

"Look Deeks, a lot is going on right now. I promise that I will tell you, just not right now okay?" Kensi sighed.

Deeks dropped his arms with a sigh of his own and rubbed a hand over his face. "Alright, I'll drop it for now but you will tell me?"

"Yes." Kensi promised and put a hand on his lower arm. "I just need a little more time."

Deeks nodded in time for Tanner to come back over with the paperwork. He ensured Kensi that she could move into the house in about 3 days' time and that everything would be ready to be signed off at that time. The partners thanked him and headed back to the car only for Kensi's phone to ring, Jeffry McDowell's name popping up on caller ID.

"I have to take this." Kensi said and stepped away before answering her phone.

"Ms. Blye, I have set up a time for you to meet the children tomorrow." Jeffry stated as a means of greeting.

"When will that be?" Kensi asked.

"The visitation has been set up so that you will be able to visit them every day between the hours of ten and twelve. You can spend all of the two hours with them or just a little bit, it depends on you and the children. We figured that they need to be able to get to know you a bit before we move them into the house with you. You have found a house right?" Jeffry rambled off.

"Yeah I just got one." Kensi nodded though she knew he couldn't see it. "I'll be able to move in soon and get everything ready."

"Excellent, I'll have to stop by to make sure that everything is safe and child friendly, but getting a house is a very good step towards finalizing everything." Jeffry said with a smile in his voice. "Your visitation with the children will take place at the police station where you met Heather Rice. We'll have a room set up for the four of you that will be comfortable."

"Okay, I'll be there." Kensi stated and glanced at Deeks who was watching her from the car.

"I'll meet you at the front of the station tomorrow morning then." Jeffry said. "Do you have any questions?"

"Not right now but if I do then I'll ask them tomorrow." Kensi stated.

They then said their goodbyes and she hung up and head to the car. Thankfully Deeks restrained himself from saying or asking anything and just smiled at her and said he'd see her later when she dropped him off at his apartment.

The next morning came faster than she had ever thought. Before she knew it, she was pulling into the parking lot of the police station and being greeted by a very happy looking Jeffry who had, just a few days ago, gushed about what a wonderful person she was for taking in a sibling group and how hard it was to place siblings together since many people just wanted one child or didn't want a particular child from a sibling group.

"William is a bit curious this morning about what is going on, while Elijah and Isla are more interested in the room that they are in." Jeffry explained. "They might be a bit challenging with you, especially William, since children like to test new adults in their lives to see what they can get away with and how much they can push. I don't want you to punish them or anything today, just let them push and tell them what you find acceptable and what you don't. They will get to learn you better if you let them test you. You'll also learn more about them that way."

"Okay." Kensi took a nervous breath and followed him through the station and to a room near the back where she could hear the babbling and talking of small children. She pushed open the door and the kids stopped talking and looked at her in curiosity and confusion. Kensi smiled at them all which seemed to put them at ease, and took a seat on the floor when Jeffry instructed her to.

Isla was the first one to approach her, which didn't surprise anyone. Small children tended to gravitate towards adults, especially women. Isla seemed to size her up while William kept a close watch over his sister in a way that clearly screamed, 'protective big brother' to Kensi.

"Hi William, Elijah and Isla," Kensi greeted with a bright smile that seemed to put Elijah and Isla at ease, while William still stood stock still, his sharp eyes watching her. "My name is Kensi."

"Hewow," Elijah greeted her with a finger in his mouth. "My name Ijah,"

"It's nice to meet you Elijah." Kensi reached out her hand which he took. "Would you like to sit with me?"

The three year old nodded his head and sat down which must have looked like a good idea to 2 year old Isla who promptly did the same, her big brown eyes focused intently on Kensi, who turned to look at William.

"William, would you like to sit with us?" She tentatively asked. He looked torn for a minute but then made his way over. "William, do you know what's going on, what's going to happen?"

"We're going to live with you." William said matter of fact.

"Yes, and do you know what?" Kensi asked seriously and got a shake of his head. "I'm going to need your help."

Williams eyes widened comically and in awe. "Me?" He asked.

"Yes you, you're a big boy and a super big brother." Kensi explained so that he would understand. "I'm going to need your help taking care of your little brother and sister. Do you think you can do that?"

"Yes." William said with an extremely serious look on his young face.

"Thank you." Kensi told him and let out a sigh of relief when he sank down next to her on the floor.

It was only then that she truly realized that this could work. It was going to be hard, she had no doubts about that, but she knew it was the best thing that she could do.

For the children, and for herself.

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Please let us know what you thought in a lovely review.


	4. Chapter 4

Hello wonderful readers! Here is another chapter for your reading pleasure, and for those who have expressed that you want more Deeks, have no fear he will become a part of this very soon. :)

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When Kensi got back to OSP after meeting the kids it was like she was experiencing some kind of adrenaline high. She fidgeted and nearly bounced in her seat as she worked away on reports. Deeks continued to "secretly" eye her warily from his own desk, but for once, she didn't really care. All she could think about Will's determined strength and desire to help, Elijah's sweet smile and easy manner, and Isla's steady dark gaze and soft dark chocolate curls. She already couldn't wait to see them tomorrow, but she knew she should really focus on the long list of things she needed to complete before they could move in. A post-it note beside her laptop currently listed the tasks out and read: pack, clean, move, unpack, shop for furniture, assemble furniture, prepare house. For two and a half days, she would have her hands full.

"What do you say I come over and help you pack tonight?" Deeks offered, noting her edginess.

"Actually, that would be great," Kensi perked up. She wasn't naïve enough to believe that she could manage her list completely alone. "With the time line being what it is and my landlord wanting me out in the next few days, I might have to hire a moving company."

"A moving company?" Callen asked as he and Sam entered the desk area and within ear shot. Deeks gave her a raised eyebrow, leaving it to her to tell her news.

"I bought a house yesterday," Kensi smiled, genuinely excited over this development.

"Our girl is really growing up," Sam ribbed lightly, but his smile wasn't teasing but very happy for her. "You know we'd love to help you pack and move if you need some help."

"We?" Callen paused in his ruffling of paperwork at his desk.

"Yeah, we," Sam gave Callen a grin.

"You've seen her place, right?" Callen said, avoiding Kensi's glare. "No way are we coming out alive if we go in."

"Hey!" Kensi finally spoke up. "For your information, Deeks and I have it all under control."

Deeks noticeably paled at her words since he had been hoping for some additional help. It was a pretty daunting task.

"A little extra help wouldn't hurt," Deeks hedged, hoping his partner would come around.

"Nah, we're all good," Kensi said with her chin a little higher. "I bet we can get it all done by tomorrow."

IOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIO

"What made you think we could finish this by tomorrow?" Deeks whined from the kitchen, where his pace of packing up pots and pans was steadily slowing. They had managed to pack up her living room, half the kitchen, and half the bedroom. The bathroom and various closets have yet to be even started and stacked boxes filled every nook and cranny, making navigation around her place as impossible as it had been before. When he'd first arrived, several boxes had been started and finished but it looked like she had hardly dented the apartment as a whole. He'd asked her what all she had done since they'd parted ways at OSP so that he could go grab Monty and dinner, which took a couple hours, and she had vaguely answered about packing away all her books. Of course he had to spend the next hour teasing her over smutty romance novels and how she just didn't want him to see them and she remained silent on the matter as they devoured their dinner. Now it was closing in on midnight and even Kensi's previously excited and anxious attitude was starting to drag toward exhaustion.

"You can go if you're tired but I'm determined to at least finish everything but the bathroom," Kensi said before yawning.

"Sure you are," Deeks rolled his eyes and tried to pick up the pace of packing the kitchen. He couldn't abandon her to this task with no help. Besides, he gave it ten more minutes before she passed out from exhaustion right where she sat in front of a closet.

To her credit, she made it another forty-five minutes before was snoozing with her back to the wall. Monty had decided to keep her company as well because he had spread himself across her straightened legs and was snoring in concert with his partner. The sight of them together nearly melted his heart, but he knew that position couldn't be very comfortable for her. Crossing the distance he got Monty to move off her and then he scooped her up into his arms with one arm under her knees and the other under her back. She only mumbled and curled into his chest before continuing her steady breathing of sleep. With a sigh of relief, Deeks carried her to her room and tucked her into bed. He couldn't help but watch her for a minute since she looked so peaceful and almost childlike, but he knew if she woke to him having this one way staring contest, she'd probably hurt him somewhere. Dragging himself away from his bedside and back into the living he found Monty already passed out beside the sofa and he managed to stumble over just in time to crash on top of the cushions and his eyes shut all on their own.

IOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIO

Kensi groggily woke up to see her clock blinking the time of 9:16 AM and she flew out of bed. She needed to get ready and head over to the station to meet with the kids again. Excitement bubbled up in her again at the impending meeting and she dashed for the shower, stripping out of her day clothes as she went.

"Uhhh…" A man's voice came from behind her and Kensi whirled around, clutching her shirt to her front since she now wore little more than a bra and panties.

"DEEKS?!" She shrieked and turned beat red. "Cover your eyes!"

It took a few seconds for him to comply, but he did, also turning visibly red.

"What the hell are you doing here?!" Kensi asked, voice high with panic and embarrassment.

"I – I was too tired to drive last night and didn't think you'd mind if I took the sofa," Deeks mumbled, fighting the urge to drop his hand from over his eyes to stare openly at his half naked partner.

Kensi's mouth opened and closed a few times before she just decided that she needed to get moving if she was going to be on time for the visitation. Once she got the shower going she hopped in and then heard her partner talking through the door.

"I'll meet you at OSP, k?" He called over the sound of the shower.

"K!" She half shouted back through the noise and door. She returned her attention to getting ready as fast as possible and sped through her normal routine.

Kensi only breathed a sigh of relief when she arrived at the station five minutes early and then she remembered that she'd get to see the children again and a large smile spread across her face.

"Ken-i!" Elijah squealed when he saw her through the viewing window and she rushed into the room just in time for the boy to wrap his arms around her legs. She must have made a pretty good impression on him then.

"Hi Elijah!" Kensi was equally delighted to see the lighter haired boy. She looked up at the other two, Will who was sitting at the table quietly and staring at her with a semi-blank expression and then Isla who was stumbling her way toward her. "Hey Will, Isla."

She rescued the teetering toddler from falling and scooped her up to sit on her hip.

"I'm so happy to see all of you," Kensi smiled, giving Isla an extra bounce and ruffling her fingers through Elijah's curls.

"You still want us then?" Will asked, clearly trying to hide the bit of hope in his voice.

"Definitely!" Kensi, taking a seat across from Will after loosening Elijah from around her knees. "I want to know more about each of you so we can become very good friends."

Will still looked a little suspicious but nodded. Elijah tugged at her sleeve to get her attention and rewarded her with a big smile when she looked down at him.

"I like cars!" He gushed with a happy smile.

"Oh yeah? What kind of cars?" Kensi asked.

"ALL cars!" He squealed as if the answer were obvious. "Wiw likes soccer."

"What position do you play, Will?" Kensi asked, shifting the attention to a quiet Will.

"Forward," Will answered, looking as if he wanted to continue, but was too nervous to.

"Why forward?" Kensi pushed a little in hopes of getting him to open up.

"Cos then I can score goals and win points," Will answered, starting to smile some as if reliving a past game.

"Do you play on a team then?" Kensi asked.

Will nodded, starting to relax some. "We're called the Tigers."

"Very cool," Kensi grinned. "Does either of you have a favorite color?"

"BLUE!"

"Green," Both boys stated at the same time.

Kensi chuckled at them when they stuck their tongues out at each other.

"Are Wiw and I gonna shae a room like we did at home?" Elijah asked, taking on a more serious tone.

"If that's what you want, then definitely," Kensi said, matching his tone.

"Can we have like bunk beds too?" Elijah perked up a bit more at his own idea and Kensi nodded her agreement.

"Of course," She said, already thinking that she was going to be wrapped around each of their pinkies before the week was up.

IOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIOIO

Deeks couldn't figure it out. He knew Kensi would tell him what was up eventually, but it turns out when it comes to secrets, he is not a very patient man. She breezed in just after one, dropping of a container of Chinese on his desk and then planted herself at her own desk, inhaling her own food while she began checking emails and getting herself sorted.

"How is packing going, Ms. Blye?" Hetty asked, causing Kensi to jump in her seat and quickly turn to see Hetty heading her way.

"It's, uh, going," Kensi said, trying to sound optimistic.

"Good," Hetty nodded and then smiled. "I took the privilege of hiring a moving company on your behalf. They will be by your place tomorrow at 1 PM."

Kensi's eyes went wide as she realized just how much she had to finish yet. "Uh, do you need me here for the rest of today? I think I have some packing to do."

"Go right on ahead," Hetty smiled knowingly.

Kensi finished scarfing her food and grabbed her bag before making her way to the exit.

"Need any help tonight?" Deeks called after her.

"Yeah, if you want to," she called back, already rushing out into the fresh air.

Deeks knew he'd be stopping by to help tonight, because each extra minute he spent with her was a minute she might spill her secret and he couldn't let that go to waste.

IOIOIOIOIOIOIO

Kensi watched as the moving truck pulled away from her place and with one last look at her place, grabbed her keys and headed for her car. The moving guys would take care of unloading her boxes and furniture into each room and so she would have time to go check out some furniture and some paint colors for some of the rooms. She was very excited about getting the kids' rooms just perfect for them so they could feel like it was a home. A lot of their clothing and some toys had already been delivered to the house and sat in closets, waiting to be unpacked, but the furniture would be up to her to provide.

It took more than a few furniture stores and a Home Depot for her to purchase a plain white bunk bed for the boys that she bought a bright blue set of sheets and comforter for Elijah and green set of the same for Will. Luckily there were quite a few matching white dressers and she even got a little extra blue and green paint so that she could paint the fronts of each drawer to coordinate who it belonged to. Her fun splurges for the boys were a monster pack of hot wheels and a floor mat that had streets and building colored onto it for Elijah and a decent stack of DC and Marvel comic books and a backyard goalie net complete with a soccer ball for Will.

Isla was a little harder to shop for because according to the social worker, she was at the stage between a crib and a toddler bed. She was only able to decide on a cheerful lighter wood colored crib that converted to a toddler bed with minimal effort. Maybe by then Deeks will have found her out and he'd figure it out for her. Bright yellow and purple colored sheets made it into the cart with a few stuffed animals that couldn't be helped and a cover for the changing table slash dresser that matched the crib. After a careful debate, Kensi decided on a pale yellow for the walls that could stick with her until she was a teenager and wanted something else. The thought made her heart skip a beat. She was going to raise these children for the next 16 years. It was an exhilarating idea but so terrifying at the same time. So much to screw up in a lot of time.

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Reviews are wonderful little things and we both highly appreciate them :)


	5. Chapter 5

For those who want Deeks...

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Kensi couldn't help the large smile that had blossomed across her face the moment that the children had entered the house and started looking around in awe. The social worker had informed her the night before that he would be bringing them over so that they could see their new house before they moved in and that way the social worker could make sure that she had gotten everything needed. Though she had yet to paint the rooms or assemble the furniture, the social worker was more than pleased with what he saw.

"Everything looks great." Jeffry beamed. "Just get their rooms painted and put together and they should be able to move in shortly."

"That's great." Kensi let out a sigh of relief and looked down at Isla who had tugged on her pants.

"Up," The little girl demanded her arms up in the air in expectation.

Kensi expertly lifted the child and placed her on her hip and felt the girl lean into her side in content.

Jeffry smiled at the sight and held up his clipboard. "I'm going to put this in my car and give you some time alone with the kids before I bring them back."

Kensi nodded and watched Will and Elijah walk into the room, both smiling. Will was talking a mile a minute to his little brother while the 3 year old tried to keep up and kept mimicking what Will was doing. Her smile grew larger but then suddenly dropped when she heard a very familiar voice coming from the front door.

Deeks didn't seem to have noticed the social worker's car out front as he walked through the door, a potted plant in his hands and his eyes focused on the plant in question.

"Hey fern, I figured I'd get you an actual fern to help liven the place up and…" Deeks trailed off when he finally looked up to see his partner snuggling a tiny girl while two young boys stood next to her, all of them staring at him as if he were a foreign species.

Kensi could see the questions forming in his eyes and his brow creasing in confusion as he looked between her and the children.

"Deeks these are Isla, Elijah and William." Kensi gestured to each as she introduced them. "Kids, this is my friend Marty Deeks."

"Hi," Deeks weakly responded.

"Deeks, um…"Kensi trailed off and took a deep breath. "The kids were Maria and Thomas's." She added and saw understanding dawn on him. "I'm going to be taking them in."

"You are taking in three kids." Deeks said very slowly. "You Kensi Blye, killer of cactus's is taking in three kids."

"Deeks," Kensi scolded when she saw Will's eyes widen at the word 'killer'.

"Sorry," Deeks mumbled.

"Ken-I, what a catus?" Elijah asked in the broken speech only a 3 year old could manage.

"It's a plant sweetie." Kensi ruffled his blond hair affectionately.

Deeks couldn't help but feel a tug at his heart at seeing his partner fall into the maternal role she had apparently taken on. It made him wonder, not for the first time, what she would be like with a biological child of her own, preferably one that shared half his genes.

"What did he mean that you are a killer of cactus's?" Will asked while moving closer to Kensi with a protective look on his face that almost made Deeks laugh.

"He just meant that plants don't like me much." Kensi tried to smooth over with a glare at Deeks who shrugged sheepishly.

"Oh." Will said, seemingly happy with that.

"You know what Will?" Deeks asked, drawing the little boy's attention to him. "Kensi is a really great person and though she doesn't have much luck with plants, I'm sure she'll take very good care of you."

"I know." Will declared and surprised both adults by walking over to Deeks and leaning against his leg where Deeks placed a hand on his shoulder.

Kensi smiled at the two of them and then turned to the social worker when he made his way back into the house. Introductions were made and then goodbyes before the social worker and kids headed out to the car with the promise of everyone seeing each other again very soon. Kensi waved at them until they were out of site and then turned to Deeks, knowing she had some explaining to do.

"The night that I found out my friends had died, I was told that they had requested that the kids come and live with me." She stared. "I was told that I didn't have to take them in, but if I didn't then they would go into foster care where they might be separated and I can't let what happened to Callen happen to them as well. It's going to be hard, but I think coming to live with me is the best thing that I can do for them."

Deeks looked at her for many minutes before a smile spread across his face and he placed his hands on her shoulders. "You are an amazing person, you know that right?" He stated and got a broad smile from her in return.

"Yeah well…"Kensi half shrugged and walked over to one of the full boxes that had yet to be opened.

"Do you need some help with anything?" Deeks asked.

"Actually, there is something that you can do to help. I have to get their rooms done so that they can move in. I still have to paint and put together their furniture." Kensi explained.

"I'm good with painting and I've been known for putting together a few things before." Deeks stated and gestured for her to lead the way.

Kensi started painting the walls while Deeks busied himself with assembling the furniture that she had bought. They worked mostly in silence with Deeks swearing at the furniture from time to time for not fitting correctly or not wanting to be put together. It wasn't until he had fully put together the new crib for Isla that he spoke up again.

"How are you going to do this Kens?" He slowly asked and leaned against the wall to watch her paint.

She put down her roller and looked at him a bit confused before she answered. "I don't know Deeks. I'm all that they have so I couldn't just leave them in the system to potentially be split up and never adopted. Their parents trusted them with me and wanted me to care for them."

"What about work?"

"William is six so he'll be enrolled in school fulltime while Elijah and Isla who are three and two will be put into daycare while I'm working. It will mean no late nights, limiting my undercover operations and being mindful that I have three kids to go home to." Kensi explained.

"You're going to do it all on your own? You're going to change your whole life to take in three kids, which by the way I think is amazing, but you plan on just what, jumping into this and hoping for the best?" Deeks stood up and walked over to her.

"What do you expect me to do, reach out and drag someone else into this?" Kensi almost snapped.

"You're going to need help Kens!" Deeks snapped back.

"And what, are you volunteering?" Kensi asked and saw a look settle onto his face which made her heart nearly stop. "Deeks…"

"You're my partner Kensi. Partners help each other out in any way that they can, even when it comes to taking care of three orphaned children" Deeks slowly stated. "They are going to need more than just one person taking care of them, and what happens when one gets sick and you have to take care of them and their siblings? There is a lot to handle with one kid, not to mention three."

Kensi felt a smile stretch across her face just seconds before she lunged forward and wrapped her arms around him in a tight hug that threatened to crush his ribcage.

"You're an amazing guy Deeks." Kensi said when she pulled away from him. "But are you sure that you want to do this?"

"It's better than making you do this all on your own." Deeks shrugged. "What type of friend would I be if I left this all on your shoulders when I could help?"

Kensi smiled and picked up her roller again. "You might regret this."

"Yeah well, I have worse regrets in my life." Deeks claimed and pulled the next box over to him.

They worked for hours before deeming the rooms complete and put the furniture into their new places. When Kensi was satisfied with how each room looked, she turned back to Deeks.

"They move in soon." She announced.

"I'll be here with you each step of the way, as much or as little as you want. I'm not going to lie and say that it doesn't completely freak me out, but I know you and know that if you don't have help you'll drive yourself into the ground trying to do the best that you can." Deeks explained.

"Thank you." Kensi said and placed a kiss on his stubbled check.

"You're welcome." Deeks said and started to clean up with her.

It was a bit hard to believe that soon the house was going to be full of children running around. Pretty soon Kensi was going to have a family of her own and he wanted nothing more than to be a part of that.

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Thoughts?


	6. Chapter 6

Here is chapter 6. oh and by the way...We own nothing except for the characters that we have made up.

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"So are you nervous?" Deeks asked casually after Sam and Callen had left to go home for the weekend. It was Friday and Kensi was doing her first full weekend with all three kids.

"I think I'm gonna be okay," Kensi said, trying to keep her cool, because inside she was a bit of wreck. She has spent the last half an hour going over her mental to-do list to make sure she had everything ready for the weekend. She'd gone grocery shopping the night before so she had something for the kids to eat for every meal, including healthier options because despite her addiction to junk food, she wanted the kids to eat well and be healthy so she would take one for the team. The only problem with this plan is that she sucked at cooking.

"Did you want me to come over tonight to help out?" Deeks continued, sensing her worried state.

"Hmmm?" Kensi snapped back to attention. "Nah, I'll be fine."

"You're sure?" Deeks asked, worried that she might just be playing stubborn.

"Deeeeeeeeeeks," Kensi whined. "It's just a weekend. I'll be fine."

"Okay, okay," Deeks backed off. "But if you need anything at all, you know how to reach me."

"I know," Kensi sighed, slightly annoyed that he didn't think she couldn't handle it. "I've gotta get going so I can meet the social worker at my place with the kids."

"K, have fun!" Deeks gave her two thumbs up and she couldn't stay mad at him anymore and responded with a grin.

"Thanks, you too," Kensi headed out the door with a little bounce in her step, already looking forward to getting home. The plan was an evening in with spaghetti and a Disney movie of the kids' choice as she got half a dozen different ones for them to choose from. She wanted to give them a chance to get used to the house before they ventured out from it.

When she got home she had half an hour to spare and she decided she would get in a quick shower and then tidy up her place before her doorbell was ringing. With one last deep breath, she opened the door and her knees were immediately wrapped in the arms of Elijah.

"Ken-i!" He squealed in delight.

"Hey Elijah," Kensi ruffled his hair. "Hi Will," Kensi shared a smile with the oldest who wasn't quite comfortable with physical signs of affection.

"The place looks great, Kensi," the social worker smiled, handing Isla over into her arms. "Mind if I take one last look at the rooms before I go?"

"Not at all," Kensi smiled brightly at Isla before giving her a raspberry on the cheek, making her giggle and flail her arms. Already each child held a part of her heart for their own so that each smile and laugh from them made her just as happy and each sorrowful look or pout seemed to sadden her as well. "So I thought tonight maybe we could eat spaghetti and watch a movie together. How does that sound?"

"Awesome!" Elijah jumped in the air with joy while stoic Will nodded his approval and gave her a small smile.

"I've got a few for you to choose from, so how about each of you picks one and then we'll go from youngest to oldest and watch one each day you're here," Kensi suggested and the boys nodded while Isla gurgled her general excitement.

"Everything looks great, Kensi," Jeffrey said as he came down the stairs smiling. "I'm sure the kids will love it."

"Can we go see?" Will asked, perking up some at the news that their rooms looked good.

"Sure," Kensi smiled. "Why don't we all go up and check."

"YAY!" Elijah shouted as he ran up the stairs right behind his brother.

"Am I dropping them off Monday morning then?" Kensi asked, edging closer to the stairs with Isla still in her arms.

"Actually, the judge has approved yours and the kids case early and if you're ready for them, you don't have to return them at all," Jeffrey said with clear excitement.

Kensi was silent at first, already trying to list all of the things she'd have to get ready to make a work week work with three kids.

"Kensi?" Jeffrey said her name to snap her out of her zoning out. "If you're not absolutely ready, you can drop them off and then pick them up at the next weekend for keeps."

"No, no, I'll be ready," Kensi nodded.

"Okay, well if you have any questions at all, you've got my office and cell number. Please don't be afraid to call me about anything," the social worker and insisted and Kensi knew she could call him with silly questions and he'd be okay with it. He really did want to see her succeed with these kids.

"I really appreciate that, Jeffrey," Kensi said, feeling some relief at this revelation. "Have a good weekend."

"Thanks, you too," the social worker left with a final wave.

Kensi waved back, before climbing the steps to chase after the boys. When she got to the top of the stairs she took a left to go down the hall to the last room on the corner where the boys' room was. Will was already climbing to the top bunk while Elijah scrambled around on the bottom bunk.

"This is soooo COO Ken-i!" Elijah squealed, already having the time of his life.

"Did you see the town-rug?" Kensi asked with a grin.

"OH MY GOSH! Wiw!" Elijah scrambled to the floor and traced the town's roads with his tiny hands.

Kensi couldn't help but melt a little at Elijah's reaction and pulled a few toy cars from the shelving and set them down beside him. His face lit up even more as he began racing cars around on the carpet.

"If you guys want, you can play around up here and explore while Isla and I work on dinner," Kensi offered, noting that Will was now losing himself to the bookshelf that she had filled with books and comics. Neither boy seemed to notice her anymore and she decided not to take it personally. As long as they were happy and entertained. "Guess it's just me and you Isla. Should we grab some toys from your room and go downstairs?"

"Yah!" The little girl bounced in her arms and Kensi laughed in response. They stopped in Isla's room which was toward the front end of the house and directly across from her own room. She set Isla down in front of the toy box and let her pick out what she wanted to bring downstairs before they continued down stairs so that she could play in the living room while Kensi cooked in the kitchen with a full view of the little girl and everything she was up to. It was only fifteen minutes into cooking that she knew something had gone horribly wrong with her cooking, because the oven was beginning to smoke and the noodles resembled more of a paste consistency. Kensi wanted to scream in frustration, but that would probably just scare the kids so she moved onto plan B; ordering in pizza.

Moving to the stairs she called up to the boys. "What do you like on your pizza?"

And without missing a beat they both answered pepperoni. Kensi silently thanked them for not asking about the ruined spaghetti and grabbed her phone to order their new dinner. Waiting for the pizza to come Kensi happily played with Isla on the floor of the living room with her choice toys which were mainly a couple My Little Ponies and a toy barn that could fit them inside. When the doorbell rang, signaling that the delivery guy had arrived, both boys were sprinting down the stairs.

"Will, can you set the table for me?" Kensi asked, pointing out a short stack of paper plates she'd left on the kitchen island.

"Sure!" Will got right to work, seeming pleased to be able to help out.

When she'd finished paying the man and taking the food from him the boys were already sitting at the table side by side and she had only to set the food down and put Isla in her high chair.

"So who wants a slice of vegetable pizza?" Kensi smiled brightly. "You guys did say you wanted vegetable pizza, right?"

The boys looked horrified at the idea of vegetable pizza and Kensi couldn't help but guffaw at their faces.

"Just kidding! I got pepperoni!" Kensi smiled, setting a slice on each plate before cutting up Isla's slice.

"That was'n funny! We amost had to eat veg-aba pizza!" Elijah gasped, but he was smiling at her joke and already diving into his slice.

When everyone had eaten their fill and faces had been washed of pizza sauce, Will helped Kensi clear off the paper plates from the table while she took care of the cups and leftovers. Elijah and Isla continued to play with their toys in the living room now that he'd brought a few cars down with him. Once everything was cleared up enough to be presentable, Kensi grabbed the stack of DVD's and laid them out before Isla.

"Okay, Isla," Kensi said, getting the girl's attention. "What movie do you want to watch first?"

The girl eyed each DVD case carefully before she picked The Land Before Time.

"Good choice!" Kensi beamed at the girl who returned her smile. "How about we put these toys away first and bring some blankets and pillows down so we're nice and cozy."

The boys nodded and between the two of them they got all the toys upstairs and put into the right bedrooms and they each carried a pillow or blanket down.

"Kensi, could we maybe make a fort in the living room to watch the movie in?" Will asked shyly.

"That's an awesome idea!" Kensi agreed enthusiastically. "But I'm not very experienced in building forts, I'll need lots of help."

Both boys leapt to their feet and began to rattle of a list of things required for a good fort. When Kensi thought she had a good mental tally of everything she instructed Will to keep an eye on Isla and Elijah came up to help her carry down a few sets of sheets, some light duty rope, and a couple more blankets for good measure. What ensued can only be described as slightly controlled chaos in which the boys helped build a pretty impressive fort using the furniture she had and the supplies she had brought down, while Isla crawled around, trying to destroy their efforts. It turned into a sort of game for half an hour until Will held his sister away long enough for the fort to be finished.

"Alright kids! Movie time!" Kensi shouted playfully and set up the movie before crawling into the fort with them, where Elijah snuggled up beside her on the left, Isla on her right, and Will on the other side of Isla.

Isla made it forty minutes into the movie before she was softly snoring with her limbs splayed out. Elijah lasted fifteen minutes past his sister before he succumbed to a slumber while clinging to Kensi. Will made it just shy of the credits before he too was fast asleep with his hands fisted under his pillow. Kensi didn't have the heart to budge an inch as she watched each child sleep peacefully. She couldn't ruin this moment by waking them to go upstairs or getting up herself, so she made herself comfortable and fell asleep to the chorus of soft breathing and adorable snore.

*Next Morning*

Kensi slowly woke to the feeling that something or someone was staring at her. Worst yet, that something or someone was pulling on her hair and poking her cheek.

"Grewanvffp…" Kensi garbled and tried to swat away the hand and she was greeted by the sound of childish giggling. She snapped awake in a moment at that sound when she remembered where she was and who she was with.

"Ken-I, bafoom," Elijah was dancing in place in his need to go and she quickly scrambled to her feet.

"Will can you keep an eye on your sister while I show Elijah the bathroom?" Kensi asked, still rubbing some sleep from her eyes.

"Yeah," the boy replied easily enough as he began playing a clapping game with his sister.

Kensi ushered Elijah into the main floor bathroom that only had a toilet and sink.

"I'll be right out here, bud," Kensi called as she shut the door.

"K!" Elijah called and began singing a nonsensical song to entertain himself while he went to the bathroom. Kensi was about to check on the other two kids when she heard Isla beginning to wail and picked up into a short sprint to the living room.

"I think she needs a diaper change," Will explained, looking apologetic.

"Okay," Kensi nodded. "How hard could that be?"

Will looked grim and Kensi felt the niggling of worry scratching away at the back of her brain.

"I'm gonna take her upstairs to do this and then I'll be down to get us all some breakfast," Kensi said as she hoisted a crying Isla into her arms before heading up the stairs. "Shhhh, it's okay baby girl, I got you. We'll take care of this diaper and you'll be as good as new."

Isla was not taking any form of appeasement though until Kensi had her laid out on the changing table and unlatched the diaper.

"Holy mother of – " Kensi gagged for a moment as she took a few steps back.

She heard the distinct sound of two boys giggling their heads off down below and it probably had something to do with this predicament she was in now.

"Isla, Isla," Kensi tried to coo at the flailing baby girl who was currently reaching her hands down to smear her business everywhere she could reach. "Hey now, we don't want to do that."

Kensi was just reaching over to grab supplies when the sound of glass breaking and a loud thud sounded before cries filled the downstairs. Her eyes went wide and she was frozen in panic for all of two seconds before she redid the diaper and hoisted a poo-covered Isla into her arms and ran down the stairs. The first thing she noticed was the mess of an Elijah standing in front of the fridge screaming his head off and then she saw the 'why' which was a mess of pasta sauce, milk, leftover Thai food, and juice. Isla was now screaming bloody murder over her still poo-covered state and one look at Will whose chin was wobbling dangerously close to crying himself and Kensi knew she was in over her head. She needed reinforcements now. First she set Isla down on the living room floor and then she carefully navigated the broken class to pick up Elijah who was still bawling.

"Shhhhh, it's okay Elijah," Kensi cooed, petting the curls on his head before rubbing soft circles on his back. "You're alright."

The boy's cries slowly faded to whimpers and hiccups and she took that opportunity to send out a one handed text with him still in his arms and to the constant cries of Isla.

_SOS. NOW._

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So, thoughts?


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: Here is another update. :)

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Deeks lay spread eagle across his bed with Monty curled up at his side, both of them snoring loudly in the morning air. They were both so tired that neither heard the ringing of Deeks's phone until it vibrated off his side table and landed in the metal trashcan by his bed, resulting in a loud clang that startled them both. His eyes shot opened instantly and he let out a deep groan when the morning sun met his retinas, making them sting with the sudden brightness.

"Who would call this early?" Deeks mumbled to Monty who just stared back at him.

He rolled over and reached into the trash can to find that he had a text from none other than his partner which caused a small smile to flitter across his face only to fall away seconds later when the images of the kids popped into his head and realization that Kensi wouldn't leave him a message at-he looked at the time-six thirty in the morning unless it was important.

The SOS that he saw on the screen had him scrambling out of bed and quickly getting dressed while Monty watched him with a bemused look on his face.

"Come on Monty, we're going for a ride." Deeks said but the dog refused to budge. "Monty come on." He tried again but with no success. He then let out a small sigh and crossed his arms over his chest. "Do you want to go see Kensi?" Deeks asked and rolled his eyes when his dog instantly jumped off the bed and headed to the door.

"Oh I see how it is, I mention Kensi and you're instantly up and ready to go!" Deeks called out and smiled.

It wasn't like he could say much, though he would never admit it, he was rather wrapped around Kensi's finger and more than a little in love with her.

The drive to her place was done quickly and before he knew it, both he and Monty were walking into the house only to stop short. He had known that kids could be unpredictable and that all hell could break loose at the drop of a hat, but what he was greeted with surprised him.

Both boys were standing in the kitchen, crying so hard that their faces were beat red and they were taking gasping breaths every few seconds, while their sister was in Kensi's arms. While Elijah was covered in contents from the fridge and Will was clean and just upset, Isla was covered in what Deeks quickly discovered-much to his disgust-was excrement. Her crying wasn't as extensive as her brothers, but she was proving to have a set of very powerful lungs.

"Can you…" Kensi pointed to the boys before she quickly whisked Isla away to get her clean.

Deeks watched them retreat with a sense of mild horror and completely out of his element. He didn't let his discomfort linger though and quickly turned to the boys who were starting to calm down with Monty weaving around them and licking at Elijah's sauce covered cheeks, making him let out a few giggles.

"Doggy kissin' me," Elijah wiped at his eyes and giggled again.

"His name is Monty and I think he likes you." Deeks said and placed a hand on Will's back for comfort. He was mildly surprised when he leaned against him like he had the day before.

"He's silly," Elijah laughed.

"Yeah he is." Deeks nodded and reached down to pick up Will who clung to him tightly. "Are you okay buddy?" Deeks asked him and picked up Elijah, ignoring the mess that transferred from the little boy to his sweatshirt.

Will nodded and wiped his wet eyes before he let out a small sigh and snuggled into Deeks a bit more.

"Were you upset because your brother scared you?" Deeks asked.

"No." Will said weakly which Deeks took as 'yes'.

"It's okay to be scared." Deeks said lightly to both boys. "Do you want to know a secret?"

Will nodded while Elijah watched Monty who was sitting in front of them.

"When Kensi sent me a message this morning saying that she needed me to come here, I was scared." Deeks admitted.

"You were?" Will asked, looking up at him.

"Yeah I was. I didn't know what was going on or if you guys were okay." Deeks said. "I care about Kensi a lot and I care about you guys and your sister."

"We're okay." Will said in a very reassuring tone of voice that made Deeks smile.

"I can see that." Deeks laughed and hoisted the boys into his arms a bit more securely. "Can you try and promise me one thing though?"

"Uh huh," Will said.

"Just try and promise not to scare Kensi and I alright?" Deeks asked.

"Okay." Will said.

"K," Elijah agreed.

"Good." Deeks said and gave them a tight hug which they reciprocated.

It was then that Kensi walked in with a now clean Isla and stopped dead in her tracks at seeing the boys hugging Deeks who had a very content look on his face. The sight actually made her heart stop momentarily before doing summersaults.

"How is everyone?" Kensi asked, making her presence known.

"Oh we're good." Deeks said and slowly slid the boys back to the floor where Elijah started playing with Monty, but Will clung to Deeks leg. "How is Isla?"

"She's clean…For now." Kensi said and put the girl down. "I think she's old enough to start potty training which would be nice."

"What you're over the diaper stage already?" Deeks chuckled. "What happens when you have kids of your own?"

"I don't plan on that happening for a while." Kensi stated and looked around at the kids. "I have them to keep me busy."

"You do, and I'm sure that they will help prove my theory that you would make an amazing mother." Deeks announced and saw her try and hide the blush that crept on her cheeks.

"I don't know about that. Just look at this morning." Kensi pointed out.

"Well you can't expect every day to be perfect." Deeks claimed and then frowned lightly when he went to move only to find a 46 pound weight on his leg where Will was still clinging to him.

"You really like Deeks huh?" Kensi asked Will and walked over to ruffle the little boys hair, brushing against Deeks slightly.

"He's nice." Will announced, making both Deeks and Kensi smile.

"He is nice, and I'm sure that he might come with us if you ask him to." Kensi said and got curious eyes turned to her. "I thought maybe we could all go to the beach, if you would like to."

"Can we go swimming in the ocean?" Will asked with wide, excited eyes.

"We sure can." Kensi nodded and laughed lightly when Will turned his excited look to Deeks.

"Will you come with us?" Will nearly begged.

"You bet buddy." Deeks said and looked at Kensi.

She had a sheepish look on her face from having pretty much suckered him into going with them, but it didn't bother him which was a bit shocking, to be honest. He knew that she was going to need help and he had been prepared to provide that aid, but he had never thought that he would instantly fall for the kids.

"Alright everyone, we're going to go to the beach so I need you all in your rooms to get dressed." Kensi called out to the kids who instantly started to bounce in excitement.

Kensi and Deeks shared a quick look and started to herd the children upstairs to get ready.

They couldn't have picked a better day to have gone to the beach. The sky was clear blue with a nice hot sun which had warmed the sand and the water closest to the beach itself. It was a bit crowded but the crowd was mostly families out for the day.

"I still can't believe that kids need this much." Deeks lightly grumbled when he put down the diaper bag and very large tote bag that Kensi had made him carry while she had kept the kids together through the parking lot.

Back at the house they had both just stared at each other when they realized that they not only needed to get the kids dressed but had to bring a fully stocked diaper bag, sunglasses, towels, sunscreen, swimming diapers, shoes, hats, and a change of clothing for each child. They had also packed a small bag full of breakfast foods since none of them had eaten. Then after that had all be packed, they had put the kids in the car and made a quick stop at Deeks's apartment so that he could get changed and bring some extra clothing to change into later.

"It almost took as long to get them packed as it did for you to get ready." Kensi quipped and got a small pout in answer.

"I didn't take the long." Deeks protested.

"That's true." Kensi nodded while putting sunscreen on the kids. "Today you were faster than normal which to be honest kind of surprised me. I figured you would take ages like normal."

"Are you kidding?" Deeks smirked. "Why would I take my time when I had the promise of spending the day with my favorite partner and kids?"

"I'm your only partner." Kensi rolled her eyes and tried to stop her heart from bursting through her chest at his admitting to wanting nothing more than to spend time with her and her new family.

"Semantics" Deeks shrugged and kicked off his shoes before pulling his shirt off and dropping it onto the sand.

Kensi couldn't help but let her eyes roam down his toned chest and end at the top of his swim trunks. He of course had to catch her staring and smirked in an infuriating way.

"Are you going to actually swim or just hang out on the sand?" Deeks asked when Kensi pulled off her own shirt, leaving her in a bikini top and shorts.

"I figured, I'd stay up here with Isla. I'm not sure if she's old enough to really swim yet." Kensi announced. "I'm sure the boys are eager to go swiming if you want to take them."

Deeks looked at Will and Elijah who were both staring at the ocean with longing.

"I think I can handle that." Deeks nodded and saw her bite her bottom lip. "Hey don't worry, I'm not going to let anything happen to them."

"I know." Kensi said and watched the three of them go down to the water. She then turned to Isla who was looking at her expectantly. "Do you want to build a sand castle?"

"Cas'le!" Isla clapped excitedly and mushed her hands into the sand in front of her.

Kensi shook her head and laughed before helping Isla out a bit. It was shortly later when a shadow fell over them and Kensi looked up to see a middle aged woman watching them with a smile on her face.

"You have a beautiful family." The woman stated, taking Kensi aback slightly.

"Th-thank you." Kensi stuttered, not knowing what else to say.

"How old are they?" The woman asked.

"Will is 6, Elijah is 3 and Isla is 2." Kensi rattled off and saw the woman's eyes widen a bit.

"Dang I have three kids don't look half as good as you do." She announced and looked at each kid. "Beautiful children and a handsome husband, some woman have it all." She shook her head and gave a sigh of longing before walking away again.

Kensi just stared after her with her mouth opened. It took a few seconds for her to school her features again and focus on Isla. She looked to the water a few minutes later and couldn't help but laugh when she saw the boys run at, and effectively, tackle Deeks. The look of surprise and shock on his face would stick with her for a while.

It was nearing lunch time when the family headed back to the house with Isla who had started to become fussy, Will who was happily chatting away about everything and anything and Elijah who was pale and not feeling well. The plan was to get the kids into the house, and get them to lay down for a nap. That plan however changed a bit when Deeks lifted Elijah from the car only for the boy to proceed to vomit all over Deeks's shirt.

Deeks closed his eyes and grimaced at the acrid smell, but opened his eyes again when he heard Elijah sniffle before the little boy burst into tears.

"Hey little guy, it's okay." Deeks started rubbing circles on Elijah's back until his crying started to subside a bit.

"Give me your shirt and I'll try and get it cleaned a bit." Kensi said and took the shirt from him when he stripped it off. "I'll see if I can find you something to wear."

"Kens, you don't have to." Deeks tried to protest, but Kensi had already walked away.

Deeks shook his head and cleaned Elijah up before he led the kids to the couch where he sat down and they all climbed up with him and started yawning. He smiled at them affectionately and pulled Elijah and Isla into his arms while Will curled up next to them.

Kensi rummaged in her closet for a shirt that would fit Deeks, knowing that she had some of Jack's old stuff that would fit Deeks. When she finally located something, she headed back to the living room only to stop in the doorway and stare at the scene in front of her. Her partner was splayed out on the couch with Isla on his chest, and Elijah and Will on either side of him, his arms around them. They were all sound asleep.

She grabbed her phone out of her pocket and took a quick picture before she walked over and placed a kiss on each kids head and gently reached out to run her fingers affectionately through Deeks's hair. Watching them sleep made her feel more content then she had in a long time, and in that moment she knew that she would never trade her new family for the world, nor would she ever want anyone else by her side and helping her than her partner.

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We are writing this as we go, so here is a question for you all. What would you like to see happen?


	8. Chapter 8

AN: First off, sorry that this wasn't updated yesterday, I fell asleep before the chapter was done :/

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That night, Elijah chose their movie to watch and it came as no surprise to Kensi that he chose Cars. She was thinking of him when she pulled that one from the shelf and she was happy to see that it was worth it. When he noticed that movie in the pile he had begun bouncing off the walls and squealing like crazy while trying to explain to both Deeks and Kensi who his favorite characters were and his favorite parts.

"We've only seen this movie about a million times now," Will rolled his eyes theatrically, making Kensi and Deeks grin.

"How about we pick up this living room and get everything ready while Deeks here cooks us up some tacos," Kensi suggested, hoping her partner wouldn't mind cooking so she didn't have to burn their second dinner in a row.

"I lobe tacos!" Elijah began bouncing again and Kensi made a mental note to hold off on so much sugar for him.

"We should ask Deeks nicely though," Kensi suggested and they all turned to give him a pleading or pouting face before he caved.

"How can I say 'no' to all those sad faces," Deeks ribbed good naturedly. "But I think I'll need a helper… Could you help me, Will?"

Will nodded with a shy smile and gravitated toward Deeks.

"Great!" Deeks said with genuine enthusiasm. "Let's see what we have in the fridge to work with."

Both parties split ways to get their tasks done with the adults trying to make more of a game for each task. By the time the living room was clean, Will was setting the table for everyone and Deeks was putting the finishing touches on building tacos for each person with requests for some ingredients from the kids. Kensi couldn't help but grin at the image of her partner taking instructions from a two and three year old. He seemed to take the kids in with their comments with an easy stride that made him appear to be an old pro. Once he was finished, she helped him carry over plates of tacos and then place them around the table before setting Elijah up on his booster seat and Isla up in her big girl style high chair. They all ate with gusto with appreciative noises and Deeks had to bite back a chuckle. Kensi seemed to already be rubbing off on these kids if their messy eating, talking with full mouths, and very verbal appreciation for the food was any indication.

"Everyone say thank you to Will and Deeks for making us such an amazing dinner," Kensi said, leaning back in her own seat. Elijah quickly erupted into praise about the tacos being the best ever and Isla erupted into babble that everyone took as a thanks. "You boys did a great job."

Deeks tried not to blush at the open compliment from his partner. They didn't come often and he soaked it up like a sponge.

"Ice 'eam?" Isla asked anxiously.

"You already had some today, sweetie," Kensi said calmly. "Maybe tomorrow we can have some more."

"No ice 'eam?!" Isla's voice rose in disdain and sadness.

"Sorry, hun," Kensi ran a hand through the girl's curls. "Not tonight."

Deeks had to sit back and admire the firmness in which Kensi spoke because a, this was ice cream they were talking about and she was being a hypocrite and b, it had to be tough saying 'no' to a child you only want to make happy. As if on cue, Isla broke into full wails of toddler-esk agony and Kensi frowned in deep thought.

"I'm not changing my mind, Isla," Kensi said softly but with authority. "Now dry these tears."

Kensi swiped away the tears and hoisted the girl up into her arms.

"There's always ice cream tomorrow and right now we have a movie to watch, but we won't be able to if you keep crying," Kensi pointed out, swaying from foot to foot until the cries quieted and were replaced by soft hiccups and sniffles.

Deeks' jaw dropped as his brain finally caught up with the scene. His partner really was an amazing mother-figure.

"How about we men clean up so we can watch the movie?" Deeks directed his question to the boys and they nodded eagerly but remained quiet.

Kensi nodded and smiled her thanks to him and he smiled in return. When everything was thrown into the dishwasher and leftovers put away they all piled back into the living room to watch the movie. Outside of Elijah quoting the words and sound effects of the movie through the entire thing, everyone seemed to really relax and unwind. Isla sat curled onto Kensi lap while sucking away at her thumb while Elijah and Will sat in the middle between the two adults. By the end, Isla was fast asleep and even the boys were nodding off with their heads bobbing front to back. It was a testament to just how tired they all were that the boys trudged up the stairs with no complaint when Kensi declared it bed time.

"Can you tuck them in?" Kensi asked Deeks as she followed after the boys.

"Uh, sure," Deeks shrugged. He followed the boys to their room when Kensi split off to Isla's room. Once in the room, Elijah passed out on the lower bunk without even making an effort with the covers and Will was sorting through a drawer for some pajamas.

"Elijah's clothes are on the bottom two drawers," Will offered as he fumbled into his own pajamas and crawled up the ladder to his own bed.

"Thanks," Deeks said, but stepped closer to the bed to pull the blankets back and then over Will.

"Are you gonna be here tomorrow?" Will asked sleepily, already rubbing his head into his pillow.

"I don't know," Deeks answered, unsure if Kensi would want him there another day.

"I hope you are," Will mumbled, his eyes already shutting. "I like you and I think Kensi likes you too."

"I like you a lot too, bud," Deeks answered back honestly, running a hand over his dark hair as the boy nodded off. He moved back to the dresser with one last look at the sleeping youth and pulled out some pajamas for the youngest boy.

"Need a hand?" Kensi asked softly from the doorway. Deeks startled at first and then nodded. Between the two of them taking turns adjusting Elijah and shimmying layers off then on they were able to slide him under his blankets without ever waking him. After they pulled back to the doorway and down the hallway a few steps they finally turned to face each other. "Thank you, Deeks. I couldn't have done today without you."

"What are partners for, partner?" Deeks grinned, giving her an out to diffuse the mood. "I should probably get going though."

Kensi tensed for a second before she recovered. "You could sleep on the couch, if you wanted. I mean it is late and Monty looks zonked."

A million and one teasing remarks came to mind, but he bit down on his tongue. "We are both pretty tired, actually."

Monty eyed them both like they were crazy before dragging himself into Kensi's room across the hall.

"Or we could just both be adults and share my bed with Monty," Kensi smiled. "But I get the right side."

"Yeah, yeah," Deeks mumbled good naturedly. "We'll see."

Deeks eased past her, shedding his borrowed shirt, shoes, socks, and finally pants.

"Deeks!" Kensi hissed in outrage at his boldness.

Without missing a beat, Deeks fell back onto the bed and then positioned himself on the right side, already pulling the blankets over his body and settling in for sleep. Kensi only gaped at him momentarily before scowling and crossing the room to her dresser to grab some pajamas to change into from the safety of her attached bathroom. When she came back out it was his turn to stare dumbly at her with the larger t-shirt that barely skimmed the tops of her thighs.

"Scootch," Kensi ordered with her arms crossed over her chest.

"No," Deeks replied, trying to keep a straight face as he gripped the sheets beside him.

"Deeeeeeeeeks," Kensi whined, stomping her foot in consternation.

"You're gonna have to make me," Deeks grinned.

"You're so gonna wish you hadn't said that," Kensi glowered, starting toward him slowly, her eyes already raking his position for a weakness and also taking in his beach tanned body that was toned by the ocean. Just when she made a quick jerk of motion toward him he garbled a yelp before flinching over to the other side and before he could return to the right side she quickly took it over. "Thanks partner!"

"Heeeeey!" Deeks whined, giving her a full on pout.

"Nuh huh," Kensi grinned. "Not gonna work on me."

"Spoil sport," Deeks muttered, trying to make himself comfortable on his own side of the bed.

They both settled down and because of the long day and despite the nap, sleep over came them and despite both parties attempts to sleep on their own sides and apart; sleep found them curling up together.

DKDKDKDKDKDKDKDKDKDKDKDKDKDKDK

Kensi was startled awake when her cell phone buzzed on her night stand and nearly vibrated itself off the surface. Before it could tip over the edge she swiped it up and glanced at the caller ID before answering.

"Good morning, Hetty," Kensi grumbled sleepily into the phone as she glanced at her digital clock that read 3:01AM.

"I'm sorry to wake you, Ms. Blye," Hetty replied. "But the team is needed at OPS as soon as possible. An urgent case has come up."

"But what about – " Kensi asked, immediately thinking of the kids.

"Why don't you bring them in for the time being and we'll keep an eye on them here," Hetty answered before Kensi could finish. "I'm sorry to impede on your weekend with them though."

"They're actually here on a permanent basis now," Kensi said, remembering that she hadn't told her boss about that yet.

"That is great news then," Hetty replied, sounding genuinely pleased. "We'll see you all soon then."

"Yeah," Kensi murmured before hanging up. "Deeks, we gotta get up."

"N'ready go sool," Deeks mumbled and rolled into her side, throwing an arm over her body and pulling her in.

"De-eeeeeeks," Kensi whined as she blushed. As good as being in his embrace felt, she had to pack a lot of kids stuff and then get them all into the car. "Hetty called – "

Deeks jerked up, looking almost fully awake. "Hetty?!"

Kensi bit back a laugh and nodded. "A case has come up and we need to go in."

"But what about – " Deeks started and Kensi chuckled, amused that he had the same thought she did earlier.

"They're coming with," Kensi said simply before wriggling out of the bed and padding over to her dresser to get some clothes for the day. "If you need stuff from your place, we can always meet up at OPS."

"Nah, I've got my go-bag," Deeks yawned and climbed out of bed, throwing on his jeans from the day before so he could go out to the car.

Kensi waited until she could hear his footsteps going down the stairs before she quickly changed out of her pajama shirt and then began quietly collecting items she would need for the kids from their rooms while they slept on. They might as well get as much sleep as possible before she tried to rouse them for the car trip. She was just carrying down a small duffle with some toys, clothing, diapers, and other miscellaneous stuff she might need when she saw Deeks in the kitchen packing some snack foods and sandwiches into another bag.

"I thought they might need something to eat while they're waiting around at OPS," Deeks piped up, looking a little nervous at what her reaction might be.

"That's a great idea," Kensi answered honestly, and for the hundredth time in the last week she was glad he was helping her out even when he didn't have to. "Thank you."

"Anytime," Deeks smiled, relaxing some. "You don't have to keep thanking me, though you're more than welcome to."

Kensi rolled her eyes. "Could you take these bags out to the car then and I'll grab one of the kids."

"K," Deeks nodded, finishing up his own food packing before lifting the bag from her shoulder and heading out to the car. Kensi climbed the stairs and headed straight for Will, making the mental plan of going from oldest to youngest. Lightly rubbing Will's shoulder, she roused him till he was staring blearily at her. "Hey, I've gotta go in for work, but I can't leave you and your brother and sister here so I thought we'd do a field trip to where I work."

Will nodded sleepily and fumbled to get out from under his blanket and to the top of the ladder. Slightly concerned that he would just fall down the ladder, Kensi raised her arms to lift him down and he wrapped his arms around her neck, easily falling back asleep. She couldn't set him back down now that he was asleep so she adjusted him enough so that she could carry him down. When she made it down and at the front door, Deeks was just jogging up the few steps.

"Want me to take him?" Deeks asked, already offering his arms.

"Nah, but can you get Elijah?" Kensi asked quietly.

Deeks nodded and moved past her and up the steps. Between the two of them they were able to get all three kids in car seats and buckled up.

"I think in the future, we may have to make kid go-bags," Deeks suggested and Kensi couldn't help but agree. Normally their turnaround time was around ten minutes, but with the kids it was more like twenty.

"That's a very good idea," Kensi agreed, feeling more tired for all the effort to get everyone and everything ready. "Do you think Callen and Sam will like them?"

"I think they'll fall head over heels for these kids, just like I have," Deeks said softly back as he glanced back at the three sleeping kids.

Kensi's heart leapt into her chest and it began beating frantically. It sounded like he felt the same about the kids as she did and for the first time since she'd gotten that life changing call, she felt like maybe she could do this parent thing and get it right – with her partner by her side.

* * *

So...Thoughts?


	9. Chapter 9

A/N: This chapter is more the team than the kids.

* * *

The case that the team had landed involved the murder of Corporal Michael Donovan. His wife had gone to the base to surprise him late the night before, only to find him dead at his desk, his throat having been slit. The briefing on the case had been short and it had been agreed that they would split up, one group handling the interviews with Corporal Donovan's unit, and the other interviewing the wife.

Now as Sam drove to the base, he couldn't help but glance over at Deeks every couple of seconds. The younger man had been sent with him and had his elbow resting against the door with his head against the palm of his hand. He looked tired, and Sam couldn't blame him. However, he also couldn't help but form hundreds of questions in his mind about the man he had continued to judge from time to time.

Though it had been years since Deeks had joined the team, Sam still found that on occasion, he still questioned Deeks's spot in their mismatched family. There were times when Deeks would do something completely stupid that could cost them all, but then there were times when he would surprise the hell out of Sam. The moment that Sam had seen Deeks walk into the makeshift bullpen with those two sweet little children in his arms and followed by Kensi who was carrying a third child, Sam hadn't known what to say or do. His temporary inability to connect his mind to his mouth to form words had only increased when Kensi had explained the situation with the children and that Deeks had been helping her care for them for the past couple of days. Deeks, the messy haired surfing bum and goofball, was playing father to three kids; three kids that shared no genes with him what so ever.

Sam hadn't been the only one in shock either. Disbelief had been clearly written across Callen's face, so none of them had been the least bit surprised when he had split them up so that Kensi was with him and Deeks was paired with Sam. They had questions that needed to be answered before they could be put to rest.

"If you're going to keep staring at me then you might want to pull over." Deeks said, breaking the silence. "I would much rather not die today."

Sam shook his head and turned back to the road.

"I'm just surprised." Sam admitted. "Children are a lot to take on."

Deeks turned to face Sam, mild anger in his eyes.

"I know how to take care of kids Sam." Deeks stated.

"I'm not saying you don't." Sam soothed lightly. "I'm just saying that it takes a strong person to take on children that are not theirs biologically. Not everyone could do that."

Deeks sighed and closed his eyes before opening them again and looking out the window.

"Honestly, taking care of them scares the hell out of me, but they were put in Kensi's care and she needed help. Now that I've been helping her, I can't even imagine just leaving them." Deeks admitted.

"And what if the day comes where she doesn't need or want help with them anymore?"

"I don't know." Deeks sighed. "We haven't really talked about much. She texted me saying that she needed help and I've been helping ever since. If she asks me to leave then I'll leave, but I'm not going to walk away from the kids. They need Kensi and I and though they haven't mentioned their parents, I'm sure that time will come and they will need us more than ever."

"So you're in for the long haul huh?" Sam asked, even more impressed.

"Yes." Deeks simply replied and closed his eyes again in the hopes of getting some sleep.

"So you're now a mom of three." Callen said in awe once Kensi had explained what was going on.

"Yes." Kensi answered and bit her bottom lip.

It was still so new to her to think about the children as being hers. Her responsibility.

"And what about Deeks?"

"What about him?" Kensi raised an eyebrow.

"Is he just going to help out for a while or is he going to stick around?" Callen asked.

"We haven't exactly talked about what is going to happen or not happen." Kensi shrugged. "I'm not going to make him help me but I'm also not going to make him not help. The kids are already attached to him and he seems to enjoy being around them."

"So he's good for them." Callen said, not the least bit surprised that Deeks the big kid would get along with children.

"Yes he is." Kensi nodded.

"And what about the two of you," Callen asked and saw a confused look on Kensi's face. "It's obvious to anyone that the two of you care for each other more than friends and partners, however, neither of you have made a move towards anything else as far as I'm aware."

"Deeks and I are just friends Callen." Kensi tried to protest, but knew it was weak.

"Sure you are, I've seen the way that he looks at you." Callen pointed out. "He cares about you more than you might think. And now he's involved with the kids as well."

"What exactly are you saying Callen?" Kensi slowly asked.

"All I'm saying is that you and Deeks have become the most important people in the lives of three young children. Don't mess things up." Callen explained.

"I don't plan on it." Kensi said and glanced away from him.

"But you do care about Deeks, much more than a partner should." Callen pointed out.

"It doesn't matter how I feel about Deeks. He's my partner and things have to stay status quo." Kensi stated.

Callen shook his head while he pulled into the parking lot of the building that Corporal Donovan's wife was staying in.

"Kensi, you are both playing parents to three scared and sad kids. Nothing is going to stay status quo." Callen announced and got out of the car.

"What can you tell us about Corporal Donovan?" Sam asked the petty officer that had been instructed to show them around after they had talked to Corporal Donovan's unit and struck out.

"He was well liked." The petty officer, Young, stated.

"He didn't have any enemies?" Deeks asked.

"I didn't say that." Petty officer Young grimaced slightly. "He was well liked, but he did make a few people angry. Some men going through training came back to base drunk and high out of their minds which were something that Corporal Donovan didn't tolerate. After that he set tighter rules and restrictions that have really bothered a lot of people."

"What type of rules and restrictions?" Sam asked.

"He made it so that we had a 9pm curfew and anyone seen with alcohol or any drug of any kind, was punished through being humiliated in front of their own unit." Young explained.

"I can see why that would make some people angry." Deeks agreed.

"Do you know if anyone threatened him or made violent advances towards him?" Sam asked.

Petty officer Young thought about it for a moment before he shook his head. "No, I never saw or heard of anyone threatening him in anyway. Some people didn't like him, but it didn't mean that they would kill him."

"Well someone did." Deeks pointed out the obvious and got a curt nod in response.

"Thank you for your time." Sam said and shook the other man's hand. "If you think of anything that might be useful, give us a call alright?"

"Okay." Young said and shook Deeks's hand as well before he walked away.

Sam watched him leave and then pulled out his cellphone to call Callen who picked up just seconds later. Sam informed Callen of their lack of new information only for Callen to admit that they hadn't gotten very far with the wife either.

"We should probably all head back to OPS for now and see what we can find out from Nell and Eric." Callen suggested.

"Yeah I don't think we're going to get much here." Sam agreed.

Before they knew it, they were back in the car and heading back to headquarters.

* * *

Please let us know what you thought of it.


	10. Chapter 10

A/N: here is some drama for you :D

* * *

"Ms. Blye, I believe you're needed upstairs," Hetty said as she met both Callen and Kensi at the entrance to the building. Panic flared up on her face and Hetty smiled in reassurance. "I think the youngest is just scared because she woke up and you were gone."

Kensi nodded and redirected herself to the stairs leading up while Callen updated Hetty on their lack of findings while they waited for Sam and Deeks to make it back. She took two stairs at a time and jogged into the command center to see Nell trying to console a bawling Isla while Eric looked on, clearly panicked at all the crying.

"Hey there, baby girl," Kensi sighed, sliding the toddler from Nell's arms and into her own. "Why the crying, huh? I'm right here."

"You gone!" The girl cried, though the sobs were decreasing and being replaced by sniffles.

"I'm sorry, Isla," Kensi murmured, kissing the top of the girl's head and holding her close. "I didn't want to wake you up before I left, but I'm here now."

It took several minutes of swaying and murmuring into the toddler's hair before the room grew quiet and she had fallen back asleep. With a sigh of relief, Kensi looked up to see absolute awe in the two tech's faces as they remained frozen and staring. She gave them a raised eyebrow as if to say 'yeah, so?' and they both looked away quickly and got back to work. Just as they turned away the door opened to reveal a slightly panicked looking Deeks who immediately calmed upon seeing her. He mouthed the word 'okay?' and Kensi nodded.

"I'm going to go put her down in the daycare area with the boys and see if they're okay," Kensi whispered just loud enough for him to hear.

"Need any help?" Deeks asked, looking more than ready to tag along.

"I think I'll be okay," Kensi smiled. "Brief me on what I missed once I'm back?"

"You got it, partner," Deeks nodded.

Kensi breezed past him and exited the room just in time to pass Sam and Callen as they came up the stairs. She held a finger to her lips as a request for silence and continued walking on and out of sight.

"I never thought I'd see the day that our Kensi would settle down and with kids!" Sam exclaimed quietly once she was out of ear shot and before they entered the command center.

"I know, but she appears to be a natural," Callen said, letting the feeling of pride for the younger agent show on his face. "She's come a long ways and what she's doing for those kids is amazing. And how was Deeks on the new development?"

"He's in it for the long haul," Sam said, a smile growing on his face. "I give it four months before they're a thing."

"You think it'll take that long?" Callen laughed. "I'm going to say 2 months."

"I don't know, G," Sam laughed. "Kids can bring out the worst in some people and there will be some hurtles to jump for both of them."

"They're good jumpers," Callen gave his partner a smug smile.

"I guess we'll find out then," Sam shook his head in mirth.

"Eric and Nell, got anything new?" Callen asked as he entered the room to see the techs and Deeks reading something on the screen.

"It appears, Mrs. Donovan took out a new and very pricey life insurance policy about six months back," Eric said, shifting over a digital copy of a signed policy to the main screen.

"You're sure the wife wasn't lying?" Sam asked Callen who was looking rather confused.

"I'm pretty positive she wasn't," Callen said, his brow creased. "She was distraught and we could barely get a few words out of her though. Dig further into her past and any bank account information. Maybe she paid someone to take out her husband, though I wouldn't put money on it. She was truly upset."

Eric nodded and began typing away immediately.

"Anything else?" Callen asked.

"Forensics finally sent over their report and up to a certain point it does look like a professional hit, but then the killer got sloppy after and left behind a needle. Any prints on it are smudged beyond recognition, but there's no doubt that Corporal Donovan was unconscious when his throat was cut and it was from something in that needle. They're running a scan now to determine what it is," Nell explained, only briefly glancing down at her tablet for information.

"A sympathetic killer…" Deeks added. "This really isn't adding up."

"We're currently working on sifting through all the video feeds in the area, but there are a ton of them and it's like trying to find a needle in a haystack," Eric sighed.

"Just keep on it," Callen finally said. "Deeks, you and Kensi go visit Corporal Donovan's office and see if maybe they missed something that might explain why he was killed and Sam and I will visit the wife again and maybe get a closer look at their house while we're in there."

"K," Deeks nodded and headed out just in time to collide with Kensi. "Just in time to hit the road, partner. How're the kids doing?"

"Still asleep, but I told the daycare teacher to call when they woke up so I could explain what is going on," Kensi said as she backed up. "What are we doing now?"

"I'll update you on the road, but we're going back to the base to take a look at the office Donovan was killed in," Deeks explained, leading her back down the steps and out of the OPS.

After arriving at the base they made it through the office building and received an escort to Donovan's private office.

"We're good from here," Deeks told the young officer, who then left them alone. "So let's see what we got here…"

They each took a side of the room and began carefully sifting through files and drawers until Kensi let out a low whistle.

"Think I got the jackpot," Kensi held up a manila folder. "It looks as if Donovan had stage four cancer. He only had a month or two to live."

"So if it weren't for his murder, he'd have been a goner regardless," Deeks murmured thoughtfully.

"It definitely appears that way," Kensi said, reviewing the paperwork in the file.

"This might have been set up then maybe? Or our killer had no idea and just had to wait…" Deeks posited.

Kensi shrugged and tucked the folder under her arm. "Find anything over there?"

Deeks was just about to close the last drawer when something stood out. Pulling back a metal panel he saw a folder tucked in the far back. Pulling it out he scanned through it carefully.

"It's a copy of the life insurance policy his wife took out six months ago," Deeks said and Kensi crossed the room to stand behind him and look over his shoulder.

"So he knew about it," Kensi said, her voice a little confused. "Do you think he saw his own murder coming then?"

"Couldn't have been too prepared then," Deeks said, handing her the file. "I think we're good here though. You ready?"

"Yeah," Kensi nodded, but then felt her phone vibrate from the back pocket of her jeans. "Just a second. Kensi."

Deeks watched as her face went from serious and deep in thought to relaxed with a soft smile. He realized then it must be one of the kids.

"I'll be back in about an hour and I'll make sure I bring some breakfast so we can all eat together," Kensi said and then paused. "Deeks? He'll be there too." Kensi looked up to see his reaction and her stomach did an odd flip when he nodded and was smiling brightly at her side of the conversation. "I'll see you soon, bud." Pause. "Bye."

"How are they doing?" Deeks asked as they continued to exit the office.

"Okay I think," Kensi sighed, brushing her hair back from her forehead. "I think they need stability and already, day two, I can't give them that. Am I doing the right thing here?"

"Kens, you only have to watch you with those kids to know that answer and it's 'yes'," Deeks gave her a meaningful look. "They adore you and you them. Short of having your own biological parents, that's the best thing they can have."

Kensi's face softened for a moment as she locked gazes with him. "Thanks, Deeks."

"Anytime," Deeks returned her smile. "Now how about we pick up some breakfast for everyone."

"Sounds good," Kensi perked up at the idea of her morning sugar and coffee rush. They were outside and just rounding the corner when Kensi felt the distinct cold press of a gun to her temple and she froze.

"Don't even think about it," a man growled at Deeks who had moved to pull out his own gun. "Slowly remove your gun and phone, put them on the ground and kick them across the way."

Deeks ground his teeth in frustration before following his instructions, his peripheral gaze never leaving his partner.

"Now do the same with your partner's gun and phone," the man said, nudging Kensi with the gun to emphasize his point.

"Deeks…" Kensi warned, not wanting to lose her main weapon.

"Sorry, Kens," Deeks said, his voice tight with worry as he lifted the back of her shirt to pull her gun out and slipped his hand into her back pocket for her phone and repeated his earlier actions.

"Smart man," the man grinned. "Now climb into that trunk there."

He nudged his head in the direction of a four door sedan parked behind them with the trunk open.

"How do I know you won't shoot my partner and then me the moment my back is turned to you," Deeks said, trying to keep calm.

"You don't," the man snapped, growing agitated.

"Then I'm not going anywhere," Deeks said flatly. The man grew more flustered before he grabbed both of Kensi's wrists and started hauling her toward the car with the gun still pressed to her head. Deeks slowly followed, unwilling to leave his livid partner's side.

"There, you can see her now, so get in the damn trunk!" The man snapped, jerking Kensi's arm up so that she winced in pain.

"Okay, okay," Deeks said, arms out in a 'take it easy' gesture. He backed himself into the trunk, his eyes not leaving his partner and the man that had her frozen. When the backs of his knees touched the bumper of the car he slowly climbed in, fear finally creeping up to levels where it might take over. He can't help her from inside of a trunk and that's all he could think of.

"You too," He nudged Kensi closer to the car and she dug her heels in and remained still.

"No," she growled, clearly pissed, but he could hear the barely there tremor of fear in her voice.

"I don't have time for this," the man finally snapped and with one swift motion he hit Kensi upside the head with the gun and shoved her into the trunk so that all Deeks could do was try and catch his partner as the trunk closed over them both.

"Ugh, what now?" Kensi groaned, squirming feebly for room.

"I was able to get an alert out when I got your gun out," Deeks murmured, keeping his arms around her waist as there wasn't much room to begin with. "The guys should be here soon."

"We're never living this one down, are we…" Kensi sighed, sounding more depressed at the idea than scared. "Please tell me that's your knee and can you move it?"

Deeks choked on a laugh and tried to adjust myself so that his knee wasn't stuck between her thighs before Kensi caved and rested her head on his shoulder and completed the very small distance between them.

"Just stop moving then," Kensi growled halfheartedly.

"As you wish," Deeks grinned, curbing the million and one lines he had forming in his mind that were itching to escape. Maybe after they were out he would.


	11. Chapter 11

Sorry for the late update. Hope you like it.

* * *

There were still some things about Kensi that Deeks didn't know, but one thing that was becoming increasingly apparent to him was that she did not do well in small, enclosed spaces. She had started kicking at the trunk just minutes after they had been put in and other than causing a lot of noise, it had resulted in Deeks having bruised calves from where her heel had collided with them time and time again.

"Ouch, Kens watch where you're swinging that!" Deeks hissed in pain and irritation.

Kensi ignored him and kicked at the door again only for Deeks to take her by surprised by wrapping his arms around her and pulling her into his chest tightly.

"Deeks, let go of me." Kensi struggled against him only to be pulled further into his chest so that his head rested right above hers.

"Calm down." Deeks said soothingly and continued to do so until he could feel her slowly relaxing. "I told you, I sent an alert to the team which means that they are more than likely looking for us."

"I'm not worried about us Deeks." Kensi admitted.

"I know." Deeks said and gently laid his head against hers. "The kids are going to be just fine Kensi. It shouldn't take too long for Callen and Sam to find us and when they do, we'll head back to OPS and take them off Hetty's hands."

"They've already been through so much, I don't want them freaking out because we're missing." Kensi sighed heavily.

"Like I said, they'll be okay, and anyway, they have us now." Deeks pointed out.

Kensi tensed slightly before she turned in his arms so that she could face him, her bottom lip between her teeth.

"Deeks, do you…Do you feel like I'm using you?" Kensi slowly asked and saw a confused look cross his face.

"What?" He asked.

"With the kids, I don't want you to feel like I'm using you to help take care of them." Kensi explained.

"I don't feel that way." Deeks admitted. "Kens, if I felt like you were using me then I would let you know. I'll admit that I was scared when you first asked me to help you but those kids grow on you like a fungus. Before you know it, they are a part of you whether you want them to be or not. I'm helping you take care of them because I want to, not because I feel obligated or trapped."

"Good, I'm glad to hear that." Kensi smiled and relaxed a bit.

"What about you, do you feel trapped by them?" Deeks asked.

It had only occurred to him then that while they had focused solely on the kids, they hadn't really talked about her becoming their parent and her life having changed because of that.

"I wouldn't really say that I feel trapped." Kensi shook her head. "Overwhelmed a bit though."

"Well that makes sense; I mean you went from being just you for the most part, to being a parent to three children." Deeks lightly shrugged. "You're not alone anymore."

"Yeah," Kensi said and looked up at him, their gazes locking.

In that moment they both felt something shift slightly, whether it was the fact that neither of them was alone anymore or something else, they were not sure. The next thing they knew though, the latch on the trunk clicked and they were soon blinded by the sun as it filtered through the now open trunk.

"Sam, I've got them!" Callen called out as the two of them climbed from the trunk, their legs stiff.

"How did you manage to get stuffed in a trunk?" Sam groused, walking over with a crowbar in his hand.

"Just lucky I guess." Deeks groaned when he stretched and his back popped.

"Well either way, you're both needed back at OPS." Callen announced and felt slightly surprised when they both instantly turned concerned eyes to him.

"The kids woke up, you weren't there…"Sam trailed off.

"Let's go." Kensi said and led the way to the car.

They could hear the kids before they even entered the building.

Kensi and Deeks shared a look and quickly made their way into the building where they could see Nell and Eric trying to calm the kids down, but to no avail. It wasn't until the kids saw them walk into the room that they calmed down slightly and ran towards them.

Kensi staggered slightly when Will collided with her legs, and watched Deeks pick up the other two kids who clung to him like plastic wrap.

"Hey, hey, it's alright we're right here." Kensi said when she felt Will start to shake.

"You were gone and we couldn't find you." Will sniffled and wiped at his eyes.

"Gone," Isla chimed and looked at Deeks with big eyes.

"We got a little stuck." Deeks explained. "But our friends Sam and Callen came and got us."

"So you're okay?" Will asked.

"You bet we are buddy." Kensi smiled at him and picked him up. "Deeks and I are just fine."

"Okay." Will sighed and rested his head on her shoulder.

"Can we go home now?" Elijah asked.

Kensi and Deeks both turned to look at Hetty who had a small smile on her face. She seemed to weigh her decision before she sighed.

"I'm sure agents Hanna and Callen can work on this on their own for the day." She said. "However, I want the two of you to fill them in on what happened before you leave."

"We can do that." Deeks nodded and looked at Kensi. "Ladies first."

Kensi rolled her eyes and carefully handed Will over to him, smiling at the sight of Deeks trying to balance three kids at once. He managed somehow though and made his way over to the bullpen where he sat them on his desk.

It didn't take long to fill the team in on what had happened and how they had ended up in the trunk of a car. By the time that both of them had filled the rest of the team in, Callen and Sam both had mildly confused looks on their faces.

"Why would they put you in the trunk?" Callen asked.

"To get us out of the way?" Deeks offered as explanation.

"Yeah but for what?" Sam questioned. "The insurance policy that you found isn't really worth pointing a gun at an agent and cop. It would merely tell what the wife would get in life insurance. It's something that we could find out on our own."

"Your guess is as good as ours." Kensi shrugged.

Sam sighed and shook his head. "I still don't feel right about the wife. I mean is it possible that she lied?"

"Anything is possible, but to me she seemed genuinely upset about her husband's death." Callen pointed out.

"I'm with Callen on this one." Kensi agreed and looked at her watch. "It's almost lunch time, so Deeks and I should probably get the kids home."

"I'm still trying to wrap my head around that one. Deeks, plus kids…Sounds like a dangerous combination." Sam teased.

"That hurts, that really hurts." Deeks mock pouted and clutched at his heart for affect.

"Suck it up big guy." Callen laughed.

Kensi just shook her head and grasped the back of Deeks' shirt to get him moving.

"Let's go." She said.

"What do you guys want for lunch?" Deeks asked when they got back to the house, Isla in his arms.

"Mac n' cheese!" Elijah exclaimed and jumped up on the couch so that he could look at them over the back.

"Yes!" Will and Isla agreed together.

"Alright, let's get you fed." Deeks bounced Isla in his arms.

He then walked over to the couch and put her down with Elijah while Kensi tried to find something on TV for them to watch.

"Can I help?" Will asked when Deeks started to pull out a pan and some boxes of macaroni and cheese.

"Sure you can." Deeks lifted him up and put him on the counter.

Kensi watched them for a minute and then sat down between Isla and Elijah who both curled into her sides, eyes fixated on the TV as a funny cartoon started playing. She placed an arm around the kids and listened to the sound of Deeks instructing Will on what to do to make their lunch, a smile on her face.

"You need to be careful." Deeks said when Will helped him drain the pasta.

"Like this?" Will asked while he very carefully dumped off the water.

"Yes, just like that." Deeks smiled and helped him put the pan back on the burner before he grabbed the butter and milk.

After instructing Will on how much butter and milk to put in, the boy stirred in the cheese.

"We're all done!" Will called out when it was all stirred and Deeks filled bowls for everyone.

"This looks amazing guys." Kensi praised and got a wide smile from the little boy.

"Thanks!" Will smiled and helped get his brother and sister into their seats.

"Eat up," Deeks said and handed out the bowls.

"Marty are you going to stay?" Will asked once they had all sat down to eat.

Deeks looked at the little boy and his siblings who were gazing at him expectantly, and then to Kensi who looked just as lost as he felt.

"Uh, I don't know." Deeks admitted.

"We'll figure that our later okay?" Kensi asked.

"Okay." Will relented and went back to eating.

Once they were done, Kensi got Elijah and Isla down for naps while Deeks played with Will until he too fell asleep. It was kind of amazing how much children slept and how much constant energy they seemed to have.

"They want you here." Kensi said once Deeks had laid Will down on the couch and covered him with a blanket. "But I don't want you to feel pressured."

"Surprisingly I don't. You would think that I would, but helping with the kids and being here for them feels…Right." Deeks explained.

"Yeah but moving in would be, you know, huge." Kensi tried to stay as nonchalant as possible.

"Yeah it would." Deeks agreed and wet his lips. "Uh how about…How about we both think about it some before making a decision?"

"Yeah, that uh, that sounds good." Kensi nodded.

"Okay." Deeks said.

"Okay." Kensi parroted and left the room, both of them thinking about what him moving in would entail.

Neither really sure if they were ready for what could happen, but both wanting to find out.


	12. Chapter 12

a/n: This chapter is more family than anything. We'll be getting back to the case in the next chapter.

* * *

Deeks was surprisingly exhausted as he played Mario Kart with Will while Kensi was upstairs bathing the two younger kids and the five year old was kicking his Luigi-backside, but he was a bit distracted about said partner upstairs and her offer for him to move in. He knew she had a spare bedroom at the front end of the house on the second floor that currently just held a few boxes of extra toys, but the appeal of sharing her bed each night was beyond tempting and definitely more desirable. Would it make it awkward for her if did bring home a guy on some nights? He knew that it would be far too weird for him to bring a girl home where his partner lived, but then again, those kind of activities haven't happened in a long time.

"Are you letting me win?" Will's childish sarcasm broke through his reprieve and he frowned.

"Sorry man," Deeks grimaced. "I guess I have a lot on my mind tonight."

"Is it about earlier when you and Kensi were gone?" Will asked, turning his attention completely from the game.

"Nah, nothing really happened while we were gone," Deeks fibbed, not wanting to worry the kid.

"Do you love Kensi?" Will asked and Deeks nearly choked on his own saliva at the boy's words.

"Where would you get an idea like that?" Deeks asked in a lowered voice in case they could be heard upstairs.

"Well, you make her smile and you watch out for each other," Will said, looking very thoughtful. "My mom and dad were like that too. Dad could always make mom laugh and they were a good team. I could never get away with almost anything bad and they always knew which one I needed when I was sad or hurt." Will sniffled a little to hold back the tears and Deeks pulled the boy into his lap to hold him.

"They sound like they were the best parents ever," Deeks murmured, rubbing Will's back.

"They really were," Will sniffled. "I wish I could've told them that before…"

"Oh bud, I'm sure they knew," Deeks said reassuringly. "And I bet they're watching over you and your brother and sister right now."

"You think so?" Will asked, his crying settling to a reserved sniffle.

"I know so," Deeks nodded firmly and gave him another hug.

"Are you gonna live here with us?" Will asked after a minute.

"I'm not sure," Deeks answered carefully. "Do you want me to?"

Will nodded fervently. "You make the best food! And Kensi burns stuff."

Deeks let out a surprised guffaw and shook his head. "Well I have some good help. Kensi may not be very good at cooking, but I know she tries to for you guys, so don't tell her about the burned food."

Will nodded, all serious again. "So will you?"

Deeks paused a moment to think. These kids were beginning to depend on him as much as Kensi and though he had often dreamt of having a family with Kensi, maybe this was his chance. He finally nodded and a wide grin split across Will's face.

"But I'm gonna need some help being the man of the house and everything," Deeks added. "Think you're up for the job?"

Will nodded eagerly and was almost shaking in excitement and determination.

"First we need to break the news to Kens – "

"DEEKS IS MOVING IN WITH US!" Will shouted as he bolted from his current position and ran up the stairs, repeating the message over and over until he heard the squeals and screams of the other two kids joining the din. So much for subtlety. Deeks played with the idea of remaining on the first floor until the excitement wore down, but he was sure Kensi would have her hands full with a couple wet kids and another one bouncing off the walls. With a nervous sigh, he made his way up the stairs and into the kids' bathroom where he found a dripping wet and bubbly Kensi and two laughing kids, dropping their hands into the water creating lots of splashing while Will bounced in place rattling on about the impending good times. Kensi looked to be partway between a scowl and a smirk as rivlets of water trailed down her bare arms and neck. When she had his full attention she only gave him a raised eyebrow that asked 'really?' and he nodded. A wide smile grew across her face and she quickly got to her feet and wrapped her arms around him.

"Argh…" Deeks groaned as her wet body pressed to his. "Thanks a lot Fern." He pried her off him and scrunched his nose when he looked down at his damp shirt and jeans.

"You have to get into pj's soon anyway," Kensi smirked.

"Aw but I thought I'd get to sleep in my birthday suit tonight," Deeks drawled and Kensi blushed as she scowled at him.

"What's a bird-day suit?" Elijah asked. "Do I get to wear one on my bird-day? Is it Dee's bird-day? Do we get cake?!"

It all escalated so fast that they couldn't help but laugh.

"I'll tell you when you're older," Kensi smiled, kneeling back down to start pulling Isla out and drying her off.

"Sounds like kissing stuff," Will groaned and left the room with a dramatic sigh.

Both adults blushed and chuckled as Kensi handed Deeks Isla who was wrapped in a towel.

"Make sure she gets a diaper asap," Kensi said as she returned her attention to Elijah was content splashing around still.

"Alright you mini-munchkin, you're mine!" Deeks said in a deep voice that sent the girl into a fit of giggles as she squirmed in his arms.

Kensi was frozen for a moment as she watched her partner carry the little girl out of the room and it really hit her that he was amazing with these kids and she'd be damned if she didn't admit that her biological clock started up with a resounding thud as her stomach erupted in butterflies. Her brain was quickly racing to dangerous territory over her partner and the possibilities and it took Elijah's squeal of oblivious delight to bring her back.

"Hey bud," Kensi sighed, wrenching him from the water and wrapped him in his own towel to dry him off. "Time for pjs and bed."

"But I'm not seepy!" The toddler protested, already rubbing his eyes.

"I know," Kensi sighed as the boy clung to her. "How about we get into pjs and read a story and we see how you feel after that."

"Okay," Elijah pouted, not completely happy with the middle ground. Kensi carried him to his bedroom and pulled out some pajamas. Will was already in his own pajamas and reading a comic in his top bunk. Once Elijah was tucked into bed she sat on the edge of the bottom bunk and addressed both boys.

"Tomorrow both Deeks and I have to go back to work," Kensi said and instantly had both boys attention. "We both would love to spend all day with you, but we need to work so we can buy food and everything."

Both boys nodded their understanding.

"The place we were at today is the same place we'll be going to tomorrow, but this time there should be other kids there. Will, you'll be starting school tomorrow at Washington Elementary," Kensi said gently.

"Can't I stay with you and Deeks? I can help you with work," Will asked, his voice wavering.

"You're gonna have so much fun at school though that you won't even notice we're not there," Kensi offered, guilt eating at her as his face grew more sad.

"You're just gonna leave me there," Will started to cry. "A-and forget about me – "

"Will I'd never forget about you," Kensi softened and closed the distance to him and ran a hand through his hair.

"_We'd_ never forget about you bud," Deeks voice came from the doorway and he came into the room to stand beside Kensi. "Remember what we talked about downstairs? I need you, Will."

Will's chin wobbled dangerously as he nodded.

"But you need to go to school to learn stuff so you can get extra smart and make friends," Kensi continued, her own eyes shining with Deeks' words.

"You promise you won't forget me?" Will asked, moving his gaze from Kensi's to Deeks'.

"Pinky promise," Deeks murmured, lifting his pinky out in front of Will. They shook pinkies and he turned to Kensi next and she slid her pinky in with his.

"Promise," Kensi agreed before kissing his forehead and stepping back.

"What about me?" Elijah asked, already sounding half asleep.

"You and your sister are going to be just down the hall from where we work," Kensi said, squatting down to meet his gaze. "We can maybe even have lunch with you."

Deeks nodded, keeping an eye on Will who was settling under his own blankets and curling into his pillow.

"Okay," Elijah sighed, starting to doze off.

"Good night guys," Deeks said, ruffling both heads of hair after Kensi kissed the top of each head.

"See you in the morning," Kensi added as they both edged out of the room. When the door was shut Kensi rested her back against the wall and sighed. "Kids can be so emotionally draining."

Deeks couldn't agree more, but he was so proud of how she handled the boys.

"Is Isla asleep?" Kensi asked.

"Yeah, she nodded off pretty quickly," Deeks said, curbing the urge to extend this domestic scene they had going and pull her into his arms. "How about I clean up downstairs and you get ready for bed."

Kensi nodded without complaint and dragged her feet to the master bedroom while Deeks went back downstairs to shut the TV off and clean up the last few dishes. When he got back upstairs he lightly knocked on the door frame and entered just as Kensi was crawling onto the right side of the bed in another t-shirt, but this one read 'LAPD' on it.

"Nice shirt," Deeks grinned, hoisting the one from his own frame up and off. When he looked back at her she was rolling her eyes while trying to focus on the ceiling and not on him.

"Yeah, found it in my drawer and have no idea how it got there," Kensi said, still not looking at him.

"Mhmm," Deeks hummed as he began taking the pants of next.

"You know I have a bathroom right there that you can use to get ready," Kensi grumbled, crossing her arms over chest, finding it harder and harder to not turn and stare.

"Almost done anyway," Deeks grinned. "You did say I could sleep in my birthday suit, right?"

"_Deeeeeeeks!_" Kensi hissed, finally staring at him. "There are kids in the house!"

"Oh, so it's just for the kids' sake that you want me to keep my clothes on and not for yours," Deeks said cheerfully. "Good to know."

"You know what I meant," Kensi huffed, turning to face away from him.

Deeks shared a sheepish grin with Monty who had been hiding in this very room for most of the time they'd been home before he crawled into bed behind her and pulled her back flush with his front. She squirmed and hissed his name in mock outrage, but he was so warm and his scent was intoxicating. After a minute she finally gave up and squirmed more into his arms than out and he tightened his hold on her before kissing the top of her head and nuzzling her hair at her neck.

"Sweet dreams, Fern," Deeks sighed, completely content to stay in this bed with her forever.

"G'night Shaggy," Kensi murmured just before she dropped off to sleep with the feel of his steady heart beat against her back and the sound of his breath tickling her neck. Couldn't get much better than this.

* * *

Once again, what would you like to see happen?


	13. Chapter 13

No matter how much training they had both had over the years, no matter how many life or death situations that they had found themselves in, nothing, absolutely nothing, had prepared them for the experience of getting children off to school for the first day.

Since Will was starting at an elementary school a few blocks away from where they worked, they tried to get him settled first.

That didn't happen.

As soon as they had walked into his classroom, he had started crying and threw himself against the floor, beating his small fists against it in a rage that only 5 year olds seemed capable of. And no matter how much soothing, coaxing or begging that they did with him, he wouldn't calm down.

If his tantrum wasn't awkward enough for the two of them, one of the teacher's informed Will that his parents would be back for him later only for the boy to point out that they were not in fact his parents.

A rather tense and uncomfortable conversation later with the other parents, explaining everything, finally found them on their way to the daycare to drop off Isla and Elijah. Thankfully that was much easier, with both kids running off to play with other children.

"What happened to you two?" Callen asked when they walked in and flopped down in their chairs.

"Well apparently getting a 5 year old off to school is like telling him that we're sending him to hell to get ripped apart by hellhounds." Deeks sighed.

"It wasn't quiet that bad." Kensi rolled her eyes at his overdramatizing.

"Really, were you in the same room as me?" Deeks scoffed.

Kensi sighed and looked towards Callen and Sam, both of whom had amused smirks on their faces.

"Do we have anything new on the case?" She asked.

"Nell found that a large sum of money is missing from the Donovan's bank account." Callen nodded.

"So what, you think that someone was hired to kill Donovan?" Deeks asked, sitting up a bit straighter in his seat.

"It's possible." Callen shrugged.

"I still feel that the wife had something to do with this." Sam nodded to himself. "I mean she was set to get a huge sum of money after her husband's death, so paying someone to kill him wouldn't be out of the realm of possibilities."

"Yeah but he was dying anyway." Deeks pointed out. "All she would have to do was sit back and wait for it to happen."

"Not necessarily." Eric said, seemingly popping out of nowhere.

"What do you mean?" Sam asked.

"Well, it appears that Corporal Donovan was not in fact dying." Eric announced.

"Uh we saw the papers saying that he had terminal cancer." Deeks pointed out. "Only a month or two more to live."

"Yeah well it turns out the doctor was wrong." Nell said, coming up from behind Eric. "Another scan was done and it was determined that he didn't have stage four, but stage three cancer which isn't great either, but with treatment he could have lived."

"And treatment he was getting." Eric stated. "According to his doctor, the cancerous mass was shrinking and could have been eliminated with time."

"So he might not have died." Kensi said.

"Yes." Nell agreed.

"Alright, well let's go back to the theory that the wife killed him for the money." Deeks leaned back in his seat. "Why, what would cause her to hire someone to kill her own husband?"

"Greed, abuse, maybe one was having an affair…"Kensi shrugged. "We've worked enough cases to know that there isn't always a good reason to want someone dead. She could have just hated him."

"You don't normally marry someone you hate." Sam pointed out.

"True, but who knows what happened in their marriage." Kensi stated.

"Alright, Kensi and Deeks go and re-interview the wife and see if she can give you any insight in their marriage." Callen said.

The pair nodded and headed out to Kensi's car, both lost in thought about the case and about the events of that morning, both with the kids and on their own.

Kensi's mind kept going back to earlier that morning when she had woken up, wrapped in Deeks strong arms. Apparently some time during the night, they had migrated together, resulting in the tangling of limbs and her head being tucked protectively under his chin.

He hadn't been awake when she had woken up, which had been a good thing since she had mentally started freaking out and was fairly certain that she must have look like an electrocuted frog with as wide as her eyes had gotten.

She wasn't sure what she had expected when she had let him sleep in her bed, but waking up in his arms after the best night's sleep she had ever gotten, and feeling nothing but safe, secure and dare she say it, loved, was not it. It had taken her a while to calm down and to fall back asleep, still snuggled up to him.

Deeks mind was going over how amazing it had felt to finally have her in his arms, to be able to hold her close without the fear of getting punched or shot. Waking up to her curled up to him had been one of the most wonderful things he had ever experienced, and had only been further fueled by the sounds of small feet creeping into the room before the kids had climbed up onto the bed to wake them up.

He had thought about what it would be like to have a family with Kensi, and now living with her and taking care of three kids that he already felt like a father to, made him happier than he had ever been before; though it still scared the hell out of him as well.

"How do you think the kids are doing?" Deeks asked, pulling them both out of their trains of thought.

Kensi lifted one shoulder in a half shrug. "I don't know. I would think that if something was going on with them that their teachers would call."

"Yeah but Will just seemed so upset with us leaving him." Deeks sighed heavily.

"He'll be okay." Kensi tried to be reassuring while pulling up in front of the family's house where the wife was staying.

"Yeah." Deeks sighed in agreement and got out of the car.

They hadn't even reached the door when they both stopped, the front door wasn't closed all the way and a feeling of dread filled the pits of their stomachs as they crept forward.

"Mrs. Donovan?" Kensi called out and slid her gun from its holster. "Mrs. Donovan, its Agent Blye and Detective Deeks, are you here?"

She looked towards Deeks who nodded before she quickly stepped into the house, her gun held in front of her, Deeks following suit just seconds later.

What they were greeted with had them stopping short again though.

Strewn across the floor and the furniture were the family members that Mrs. Donovan had been staying with, all of them quite obviously dead. Each of them had been tied up with sturdy rope and shot several times.

"What the hell?" Deeks quietly said while they made their way through the house, going from room to room in hopes of finding something. When all the rooms where searched, they met up again in the living room and holstered their guns.

Kensi pulled out her phone and dialed Callen's number while looking around at the chaos in front of them.

"We have a problem." She said into the phone and felt Deeks step up behind her. "Mrs. Donovan isn't here and both of her parents and her sister whom she was staying with are dead."

Deeks could hear Callen curse before he instructed them to head back to OPS and see if Nell and Eric could get a hit one where Mrs. Donovan had gone.

"Okay." Kensi said and hung up.

"So, I have a strong feeling that Sam might be right about the wife after all." Deeks pointed out and got into the car.

* * *

Thoughts?


	14. Chapter 14

A/N: A bit shorter this time. We hope you like it.

* * *

Three o'clock came sooner than anyone had seen coming and Deeks pulled Kensi from her computer just in time to go and get Will. They had both agreed earlier that they would both be there for the first week of drop offs and pickups, to prove to him that they were indeed in this for keeps.

"We'll be right back guys," Kensi called as they headed for her car. When they arrived at the school they were a few minutes early so they parked in the small lot and walked around to the front of the school to wait.

"Is it bad that I've actually missed the kids today?" Kensi asked as they casually waited by a tree.

Deeks grinned and shook his head 'no'. "I've actually missed them too, but this is also good for them to meet other kids and socialize."

Kensi guffawed and crossed her arms over her chest. "You're already beginning to sound like one of those dads that read 'Parent's Digest'."

Deeks' stomach did a flip at the term dad and his timid grin clued her into the keyword that she had let slip.

"You are a good father figure for these kids, Deeks," Kensi smiled over at her partner. "Will especially, needs a man like you in his life and he already worships you."

"Thank you for giving me a chance to be a part of these kids' lives, partner," Deeks said in earnest. He found himself leaning in closer to his partner so that they were only inches apart and staring at the other intently. Deeks was just debating on whether or not kiss her when the school bell rang and made them both jump apart a little. He cleared his throat and focused his attention on the front door as after a few seconds kids began spilling out to run to their waiting parents. Only a minute passed before Will was among them and searching anxiously for them. Both adults waved their hands in the air to catch his attention. Once Will caught sight of them, he beamed and raced toward them and nearly took Deeks down with the wrapping of his arms around his knees. "Hey there little man, how was your first day?"

"It was okay I guess," Will hedged, trying to hide that he did indeed have a good time.

"How about we get a small cone of ice cream on the way back and you tell us all about your day," Kensi offered, holding her hand out to him. Will gladly took it and grabbed Deeks' hand with his other hand as they led him to the car.

They mostly listened while Will went from quiet to talking a mile a minute, keeping them well entertained with his stories of playground adventures and a lesson on penguins.

"Did you that penguins fall in love once and that's it!" Will rambled after he had finished his cone. "Kinda like how Deeks loves you, Kensi."

Both adults coughed to cover their embarrassment. "Look we made it back to OPS!" Deeks said a little too eagerly. "We're only gonna be another hour and you can play with your brother and sister and we'll be down the hall."

Will nodded and rushed into the room to join the other kids.

"So what do you wanna do for dinner tonight?" Kensi asked, breaking the silence as they headed back to their desks.

"You mean, what am I making all of us for dinner?" Deeks teased, nudging her in the side.

Kensi rolled her eyes and some of the tension left her body as they eased back into their routine of easy banter. "Fiiiine, if you insist on cooking. What are you making us?"

Deeks looked thoughtful for a moment before he settled on an option. "How about we grill out burgers and hot dogs. We could even invite the guys and Nell over to partake. I think we could all use a short break from this case to eat a good meal with some good company, mainly, mwah."

"Yeah, yeah, sure," Kensi chuckled. "Sounds like a plan. I'll mention it to the guys."

"Just make sure you mention that you won't be the one cooking," Deeks grinned and wasn't fast enough to dodge her punch in the arm. "Ow!"

"Big baby," Kensi muttered as they cleared the main area. "Hey guys, you wanna come over for barbeque tonight?"

Callen and Sam shared a hesitant look until they saw Deeks pantomiming that he would be the one cooking and they both nodded enthusiastically.

"Sounds great," Sam said, trying to make for his earlier hesitation.

"What time?" Callen asked.

"Couple hours from now?" Deeks half asked.

"Great," Callen said, returning his attention back to work. "We'll both be there."

"Good," Deeks smiled and moved closer to the stairs. "I'll go ask Nell and Eric.

Roughly an hour later, Kensi and Deeks were packing up their bags and headed down the hall to grab the kids.

"How about we stop by your place first and then I'll take my car to go get all the food we'll need?" Deeks offered, already mentally tallying the food they would need for the night.

"You can call it our place, you know," Kensi smirked, earning her one of his genuine bright smiles that always made her stomach flip. "You wanna start moving your stuff in this weekend?"

Deeks was certain she had no idea what her words meant to him and he had to fight not to wrap his arms around her and swing in circles in his excitement. No need to scare her off just yet.

"That sounds good," he said instead, trying to keep his cool. "I should maybe swing by my place to pick up a few necessities though to get me through the week."

Kensi nodded her agreement just as they arrived at the daycare door. It only took seconds for their legs to be wrapped in their charges arms after the door swung open.

"Ken-i!" Elijah squealed at the same time as Isla ran into Deeks' legs shouting a garbled "Dee".

Will was behind his brother and sister, smiling sheepishly but looking happy to see them both.

"Time to go home!" Deeks called, hoisting Isla up into his arms while Kensi did the same with Elijah.

"Guess who's coming over for dinner tonight, guys?" Kensi asked, trying to engage them in the moment.

"Who?!" Elijah squealed while the other two looked just as interested.

"Uncle Callen, Uncle Sam, Aunt Nell, and Uncle Eric," Deeks filled in with all the excitement he was feeling. This was what families did, right? Have barbeques with close friends while playing games and chasing the kids around. If it wasn't, Deeks wasn't sure what was. Just maybe he could start showing Kensi just how well they worked together off the job a little bit more. With a stupid grin and a plan, Deeks kept his spirits up as they headed to the car and then to their home.


	15. Chapter 15

Kensi sat on the kitchen counter with Isla held securely in her lap as they watched Deeks go from one side of the room to the other, preparing all of the food that they had bought on their way home. It was kind of like watching tennis match played by just one person. One person who had put on a flowery apron that looked oddly at place on his broad frame.

"You know Deeks, if you hadn't have bought so much stuff you wouldn't be running around like a chicken with its head cut off." Kensi stated and got a distracted shrug in return.

"Have you ever cooked for this many people?" Deeks huffed and then stopped what he was doing and got a slightly pinched look on his face. "No wait; you're Kensi the girl that can burn water."

"I'm not that bad." Kensi protested and got a smirk from him.

"Sure you're not." Deeks teased and reached out to gently ruffle Isla's brown curls in a way that made the little girl giggle.

"Ken-I, hungry," Isla said and gazed at Kensi with the best puppy dog eyes she had ever seen.

"Alright kiddo, let's get you and your brothers a snack." Kensi placed a smacking kiss on Isla's cheek, eliciting more giggles as Kensi hopped off the counter and effortlessly transferred the little girl to her hip.

She deposited Isla to her highchair and quickly cut up some apples and placed the slices on paper plates with liberal amounts of peanut butter. She then called the boys in and smiled as they happily accepted their treat.

Just a few seconds later, her gaze was pulled away from the children and towards Deeks when she felt him take her hand in his own and slowly guide her to where he had been preparing food.

"You, Kensi, are going to help." He explained and saw the incredulous look on her face. "Don't worry; I'm not leaving you alone."

Kensi looked up at him, their eyes locking in the understanding that he had meant more than just with cooking. He wasn't going to leave her, them.

"Good." Kensi quietly said and let out a small sigh of relief when he smiled that one smile that he seemed to save just for her.

"All that I need you to do right now is stir the potatoes as they boil." Deeks instructed.

Their simple burgers and hot dogs had morphed to include fruit salad, potato salad, kabobs and ice cream. They had also called Hetty while in the grocery store and invited her over with the promise of providing tea. She had agreed, which had brought their number of guests to six which had been manageable. It wasn't until Kensi pointed out that they should invite Michelle and the kids as well that Deeks had decided to buy out half the food in the grocery store.

"You do know that we're only feeding them one meal right?" Kensi raised an eyebrow as she looked at the half dozen bowls stuffed to the rim.

"We invited over nine people Kensi. Three of which are men that can pack away a decent amount of food." Deeks pointed out.

Kensi thought about is a moment and then nodded. She had known Sam, Callen and Eric to pack away enough food that they had seriously made her wonder if they were preparing for hibernation.

"I think these are done." Kensi said as she stabbed a potato only for it to split in two.

Instead of taking the pan from her, Deeks stepped up behind her, one hand landing on a hip as he gazed over her shoulder. He felt her slightly tense as he breathed her in, a devilish smirk spreading on his lips.

She turned her head just slightly and found him looking at her, their gazes locking in a heated stare, only broken when his eyes flitted down to her lips and then back up as his right hand caressingly cupped her left cheek and he very slowly leaned into her.

Kensi closed her eyes, anticipating what she knew was going to happen. Her stomach erupted with butterflies and her heart beat so hard she was sure that he could hear it. His breath fanned across her lips in a tantalizing way just an inch from hers. One slight move would close the distance, and they were so close, so very close, when they were startled apart by someone knocking on the front door.

"I uh, I'll go get that." Kensi swallowed thickly and practically sprinted from the room.

When she got to the door, it was to find the Hanna family along with G who had apparently carpooled with them.

"Hey guys, glad you found the place." Kensi stepped aside to let them all in. "Make yourselves at home. Deeks is just finishing up with the cooking."

"You have a nice place." Michelle pointed out, looking at the place in appreciation.

"She's been looking at moving for a while now." Sam rolled his eyes.

"Everyone needs a change every now and then." Kensi pointed out and got a nod of approval from Michelle while Sam sent a look of annoyance at her.

They made their way back into the kitchen where Kensi wasn't at all surprised to find that Deeks had forgone the apron and apparently hidden it somewhere since it wasn't anywhere in sight.

"Foods almost done and everyone else should be here soon." Deeks said, while picking up the now empty paper plates that the kids had left on the table.

"Well look at you, cooking and cleaning. In just a matter of days you've turned into Mr. Mom." G teased Deeks who just shrugged.

"Hey you know what G, until you have kids you can't really say much." Sam pointed out and looked to both Kensi and Deeks. "From what I've seen, you're both doing a wonderful job with these kids."

"Thanks Sam." Kensi beamed.

"Yeah, thanks." Deeks said, taken aback slightly at having a compliment like that given to him by Sam.

Sam nodded and headed into the living room, followed by G and Michelle while the kids went in search of Will, Elijah and Isla.

Just a few minutes later, the rest of them arrived and settled in, Hetty with a hot cup of tea while the others gathered around the TV, Nell having found the game.

"So what's it been like taking care of three kids?" Eric asked, having no interest in the game that had Nell, Sam and G enthralled.

"The first couple days were the hardest." Kensi said. "Other than that they've been pretty easy."

"How have they been without their parents?" Michelle inquired.

"Will has mentioned them a couple times, but the other two haven't." Deeks pointed out and looked over to where the kids where playing with the Hanna girls.

"Children are surprisingly resilient Mr. Deeks." Hetty said around the rim of her mug.

"Yeah I guess so." Deeks sighed.

"Sorry if I'm being nosy." Michelle said and leaned back in the chair she was sitting in. "But you seem really comfortable here with Kensi and the kids. It just makes me wonder if you're living here with them."

At these words, Hetty and Eric both looked to Kensi and Deeks with curious looks.

"Uh, actually Deeks is going to be moving in." Kensi bit her bottom lip and gazed at Hetty who held her stare.

"We're going to have to sit down and have a talk then." Hetty lightly sighed and put her cup down.

"Okay." Deeks nodded.

"Okay then." Hetty also nodded and smoothed her hands over her pants. "So I believe we were promised food."

Kensi and Deeks both gratefully took the change of subject, with Deeks heading to the kitchen to grab the burgers and hot dogs to grill. Kensi stayed where she was though and continued to idly chat with the others until Deeks called them all over to grab plates and eat.

The atmosphere was one of a calm family gathering, something that neither Kensi nor Deeks had experienced in a very long time. It was relaxing with the kids migrating from one adult to the other, getting to know them, and the adults getting to spend some quality time together outside of work.

It was many hours later when they first started to disperse and only after they had consumed most of the food, and the kids had constructed an elaborate fort out of sheets, pillows and the living room furniture.

Hetty was the last to leave, giving them a knowing look and smile as she informed them once again that they were going to have to sit down for a talk soon about them living together and taking care of the kids. It was only when they promised that they would do so that she left.

"I think that went over well." Deeks said and started cleaning up.

"Me too." Kensi agreed and looked at the kids who were playing in the fort together. Each kid was sporting drooping eyes and kept yawning widely. "I think they're ready for bed."

Deeks looked over as well and smiled. "Hey guys go get ready for bed."

"Do we have to?" Will pouted.

"Yes." Kensi nodded and heard him sigh. "I'll go help them while you clean up."

"I get to cook and clean? Maybe Callen was right; I'm turning into a housemaid." Deeks teasingly huffed.

"Nah, housemaids don't talk as much." Kensi smirked and whisked the kids upstairs.

She returned minutes later with Will, the other two having fallen asleep almost instantly.

"Can I sleep in the fort tonight?" Will rubbed at his tired eyes.

"I don't know buddy." Kensi bit her bottom lip at the thought of leaving him alone downstairs. If there was one thing she hated doing, it was sleeping on the floor.

"I can camp with him." Deeks offered and got a beaming, yet tired, smile from Will.

"Are you sure?" Kensi asked and got a nod.

"Yup, Will and I can handle a night in the fort." Deeks placed his hand on Will's small shoulder.

"Okay but only for tonight." Kensi directed at the boy. "I want you back in your own bed tomorrow."

"Yes!" Will exclaimed and disappeared into the fort.

"Don't worry, we'll be fine." Deeks said with affection in his eyes that made Kensi's knees weak.

It still surprised her how much he cared for the kids and how much he was willing to do for them.

"Okay, uh, I'm going to head to bed." Kensi said, feeling a surge of tension between them.

"Yeah, night Kens," Deeks gave her a half smile.

They looked at each other for a minute more before Kensi turned and started to make her way to the stairs only to stop at the bottom step and close her eyes. She had just a moment of hesitation before she turned back around and made her way back to Deeks, her hands finding his face and drawing him into a kiss that sent shockwaves through their systems. He reciprocated quickly and pulled her closer to him as their lips brushed together.

The kiss was over in just seconds, with Kensi pulling back and placing her hands on his chest gently.

"Good night Marty." She said so quietly that only he could hear.

"Good night Kensi." He responded and sighed at the feeling of lose once Kensi's hands left his chest and she pulled away to head upstairs.

He watched her until she vanished from sight, a huge smile blossoming on his face.


	16. Chapter 16

A/N: Another Friday, another chapter. Oh and in case you were wondering...No we don't own the show or anything to do with the show. We do not make money from our writing...Though that would be pretty cool...

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Deeks was a mess between elated and guilty as he and Will made final touch ups to the living room fort that they would be sleeping in that night. Elated because the girl of his dreams had kissed him senseless and he had loved every breathtaking moment of it, but guilty because Will had to repeat several sentences to get through his love-induced brain fog that was clouding his mind. Luckily once they had piled into the fort, Will was unconscious to the world within moments, leaving Deeks to replay the earlier event over and over in his mind. He felt like a teenage girl who had just gotten her first kiss and the thought made him snort out loud. Except that upstairs laying in a bed all by herself, dressed in only a t-shirt, was the very girl he wanted to spend the rest of his life with and she had just made a critical move that pushed them both past that line they'd been dancing around for ages now. Only the reminder that Will might freak out if he woke up alone kept him in that fort and not racing upstairs to continue what she had started and it was still hard. After a few hours of tossing and turning, Deeks finally drifted off in a fitful rest, his dreams filled with his partner.

Kensi woke up well before her alarm went off to the soft cries of a child coming from another room. In a daze, Kensi followed the sounds to Isla's room where she found the little girl sitting up in her crib and crying as she swiped at her eyes and nose.

"Hey sweetie," Kensi cooed and reached in to grab the toddler up and held her close while she fisted her hands in her pajama shirt for dear life. "What's wrong baby girl?"

"Miss mommy, miss daddy," she said brokenly through sobs.

Tears filled Kensi's eyes and she fought to keep them at bay. "Me too, honey. Me too."

"Is everyone okay?" Came a gruff and sleepy voice from the doorway and Kensi locked watering eyes onto her partners and bit her lower lip. Without any words Deeks stepped forward and wrapped his arms around them both, resting his forehead on top of Kensi's head and rubbed soft circles on Isla's back until the girls' cries slowed to the occasional sniffle. With a lingering kiss first on Isla's forehead and then on Kensi's he started ushering them toward Kensi's room.

"What about Will?" Kensi asked in a whisper as she followed her partner's lead.

"I carried him to bed," Deeks whispered back as they entered the bedroom and tidied the blanket on the bed before reaching out for Isla and tucking her into the middle of the bed and then climbing in on the farthest side and waiting for Kensi to catch on. Luckily she did quickly enough and climbed in on the other side of the already sleeping toddler.

"Thank you, Deeks," Kensi whispered, feeling so unsure that she would be able to raise these three kids without him.

"Anytime, partner," Deeks grinned sleepily and reached a hand across the toddler to link fingers with hers. They both drifted asleep with the toddler between them and small smiles on their faces.

The next day everyone seemed more than a bit drowsy and Kensi declared that it would be an early night for them all that night. Of course the kids would get a chance to nap during the day so who knew if that plan would actually come to fruition. Dropping off Will had gone only slightly smoother than the previous attempt, but at least Isla and Elijah were easy enough to drop off. They had only time enough to set their respective bags down by their desks before Hetty was standing between them and her own office, staring them down without words.

"Guess it's time to face the choir," Deeks sighed dramatically, trying to make light of the impending meeting, but also terrified out of his mind that Hetty would make some life altering decision for them. Like, they could no longer be partners. He didn't trust anyone else to have Kensi's back and he wasn't going to give her up without a fight.

"Have a seat," Hetty said calmly, taking her own seat. "Tea?"

"Uh, no thanks," Kensi responded out loud while Deeks just shook his head 'no'.

"I will just cut to the chase then," Hetty said after a long sip. "I am quite pleased that both of you have stepped up to take on the role of parents to those three beautiful children. They need you both very much and I think in raising these kids, you will also need each other. But I need to be very clear that your work performance cannot change unless it is for the better and if myself or others notice that it is slipping, we will have to alter your current positions so that things can run smoothly again."

"Like break up our partnership?" Kensi's voice was strained with the panic she felt through her entire body.

"No, you can't," Deeks spoke immediately, his voice low and dangerous sounding.

Hetty only raised an eyebrow at them until both sets of emotions shifted to despair and fury.

"I could always bring in another two agents to do field work and you two can both stay here," Hetty offered.

Kensi balked at that idea while Deeks cooled down. He had to admit that the idea of Kensi not being in any danger was very appealing, but he also knew she'd never go for it.

"It doesn't matter," Deeks finally spoke up. "Because we're a great team and that isn't changing."

Kensi looked over at him, willing herself to really believe him, that despite what happened on the home front they would be as amazing as they always were in the field. Did this mean they would have to remain partners and friends and her oh-so-bold move the night before had been for nothing? Despair came back on the heels of her temporary joy from Deeks' words. Yes, she valued his friendship and their partnership more than any other relationship she's ever had, but just a taste of what they could be left her wanting for so much more and now that was unlikely to happen. It wasn't worth losing all of him. Straightening her spine and squaring her shoulders, she resigned herself to the fate of always being just the partner and nodded her agreement to Deeks' words as her heart sank within her chest.

"Good," Hetty said. "I am rooting for you both, but if lives are at stake… I know you both can do your jobs very well and it will not come to that."

Kensi was the first to rise and return to her desk, not looking at anyone or anything as she took her seat and immediately got down to work. Deeks tried not to worry over her stony silence and determination to ignore everything and everyone around them, but when they had gotten to lunch and he had called her name three times before she finally looked up at him warily.

"Let's go grab some lunch," Deeks said as he got to his feet and grabbed his wallet.

"I'm good," she said evenly and she returned her attention to the pile of work before her.

Deeks frowned and shared a loaded glance with Callen and then Sam who looked just as bewildered and for a second he thought about catering to her need to lose herself to her work, but one more glance with their team leader and he knew he had to get her to talk and soon before he'd really lost her for good. With a determined sigh, he marched across the short space and pulled her chair back against her startled shrieks of protest and hoisted her over his shoulder in a fireman's carry.

"DEEKS!" Kensi growled, struggling just enough for Deeks to have to fight to keep her up. "You will pay if you don't put me down this instant…"

"I already do," Deeks huffed, adjusting her some so that he had a secure hold on her. "And if you don't want to be dropped, then you'll keep still."

"Deeeeeeeeeks," Kensi half growled and whined. "You're so dead once you put me down."

"Now where's the motivation to put you down?" Deeks chuckled and even Callen and Sam grinned in amusement.

"You kids have fun!" Sam called as they made their way out of the building.

"But not too much fun," Callen rolled his eyes at his own computer screen.

"You guys suck!" Kensi called just as they exited and the door cut them off from view. "You can put me down now."

"And have you kick my ass?" Deeks pondered out loud. "No thanks."

Kensi growled low in her throat and continued to pout until they got to her car and he set her carefully down between himself and the vehicle so that she was cornered.

"Wha – "

Deeks cut her off with a kiss that made her knees weak enough to wobble so that she tipped back an inch so that her back rested against the vehicle and his body followed hers. He melded his body to hers and she was helpless to do anything but respond in kind; his lips melting away any despair and anger she had been feeling before. His hands wound through her hair and directed her face up toward his so that the kiss deepened and she had no idea where one of them began and the other ended, but she found she really didn't care. When he finally pulled back an inch to allow for them to breathe they were both panting with locked gazes of desire.

"But we can't – " Kensi panted, her voice choking up some. "Hetty –"

"Hetty didn't say we can't be together," Deeks interrupted. "She just said that we can't let it affect us at work and I know that there are days when it will be hard, but we've made it three years now without jumping each other on the job, the least we can do is keep it at home."

Kensi choked on a laugh and shook her head in mirth.

"You're an amazing agent and I like to think I'm a damn fine cop," Deeks reasoned. "Being together isn't going to change that."

The logic behind his last statement rang true and Kensi couldn't deny that it just made sense. Without anything or anyone stopping her, she rocked to her toes and sealed her lips over his and this time he moaned into her mouth as they took their time to explore the other. Kensi's hands started on his chest but moved down as the kiss went on until her fingers were tucked under the waistband of his jeans and he nearly ripped her clothes off to have her right here and now, but she meant so much more to him than a quickie in the backseat so he pulled back enough to give them some distance.

"Maybe we should take this a little slower," Deeks suggested, his voice already wavering in resolution.

"What are we? Teenagers?" Kensi chuckled, wanting his body pressed against hers again.

"No, but this – " he pointed between them, "means a hell of a lot and I want to do this right. I want to take you on first and fifteenth dates and buy you flowers or something else that the man is supposed to buy his woman to show that he cares. I don't want us to be just about sex – as much as I am looking forward to that part."

Kensi looked thoughtful before nodding. "I guess, but for the record, you're really missing out."

"I already knew that," Deeks laughed and then kissed her on the forehead. "So how about lunch?"


	17. Chapter 17

A/N: Some fluff and action. Oh and we don't own the show. It would be pretty crazy if we did though! :D

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Deeks sat under the shade of a tree and smiled as he watched Kensi play with Isla and Elijah. They had decided on lunch at a nearby park and had collected to the two younger kids in the hopes of spending a bit more time with them.

It was still a surreal concept to them that they had quickly gone from two single people to being parents to three young kids and in the first stages of a new relationship, one that they had both wanted for a long time. And watching Kensi effortlessly interact with the children not only made him reconsider her stance on not being good with kids, but also made him realize just what an amazing mother she was.

If anything it made him wonder even more what it would be like for them to have little ninja assassins of their own. Would they be as kick ass as Kensi with her beautiful, dark features or would they be more hyperactive like him with his surfer's complexion?

He had teased her before about wanting little Marty's running around, but the more time he spent with these three amazing children that had become theirs, the more he wanted to bring a biological child into the world. He had always wanted a family of his own and now he had one, with a woman whom he loved.

Deeks was pulled out of his own thoughts though when a shadow fell over him and he looked up to see Isla holding out a slightly mangled flower.

"Fl'er." She smiled radiantly.

"That's a very pretty flower." Deeks said and stood up, scooping her into his arms where she curled into him sleepily, her head in the crook of his neck. "Are you sleepy?" He lightly chuckled.

"No." Isla shook her head and yawned widely.

Deeks chuckled again and walked over to where Kensi and Elijah were sitting, the two of them were making a daisy chain.

Kensi looked up when the approached and smiled fondly at the little girl who had quickly fallen asleep in Deeks arms. She couldn't say that she blamed the child, since she had slept in Deeks arms recently and firsthand experience at the comfort and safety that he provided.

"I think we should probably head back." Deeks said, taking the flower from Isla's hand and tucking it behind the little girl's ear for safe keeping.

"Probably," Kensi nodded and turned to Elijah. "Come on buddy we need to get back to school."

"I don't want to go back." Elijah pouted.

"I know but we have to go back so that Marty and I can go back to work and catch the bad guys." Kensi reasoned with him.

Elijah sighed dramatically but stood up and grabbed the daisy chain to bring with him. He then took Kensi's hand and let her lead him back to the car.

"Thank you for being such a good boy." Kensi praised and saw a smile blossom on his face.

"You're welcome." He said and leaned against her leg. "Love you Ken-i."

Kensi smiled down at the boy, her heart feeling like it was about ready to burst out of her chest. "I love you too Elijah." She said and hugged him to her before getting him into the car.

"I think you have an admirer." Deeks lightly teased.

"I just can't believe that they actually like me." Kensi raised a self-deprecating eyebrow that made Deeks lightly sigh and cup her chin in his palm so she was looking at him.

"You shouldn't doubt yourself Kens." He quietly stated. "You have been an amazing mother to these kids. You've not only given them a home but the love that they had lost when their parents died. They are incredibly lucky to have you."

Kensi lightly blushed and placed a hand on his cheek to pull him into a soft, quick kiss. "They have us." She corrected him and welcomed his lips on hers in another, slightly deeper kiss.

It felt amazing knowing that they could finally show the other how they felt and share kisses without the fear of rejection. It was perhaps one of the biggest reasons that they had refrained from becoming more long ago.

"We need to head back." Kensi said just before her phone rang. "Blye," she answered and listened to whoever was on the other end. "We'll be right there."

"What's up?" Deeks asked when she slipped the phone back into her pocket.

"Nell and Eric have spotted Mrs. Donovan." Kensi said, getting into the car.

"Where was she?" Deeks asked and saw a look cross her face.

"She was at the mall…Shopping." Kensi stated.

Deeks felt his jaw drop at the thought of losing his family only to go out shopping like nothing had happened.

"How…Why…" He stammered and looked over and saw her shake her head. "Her husband and family were just killed and she's out shopping…"

"I know." Kensi sighed and drove back to OPS where they dropped the kids off and headed up to meet with the rest of the team.

"So what have you found out about Mrs. Donovan?" Deeks asked when they walked in.

"She appears to be alone." Nell stated, looking through camera feeds. "So it doesn't appear that she's being watched or that anyone else is with her."

"So she just decided to go out shopping?" Kensi asked.

"It seems that way." Eric nodded. "She's still there." He then added, looking at Callen.

"Kensi and Deeks, I want you to head to the mall and see if you can catch up with her. Bring her to the boat shed. I have a few questions for her." Callen instructed.

Kensi and Deeks nodded and headed back out of OPS and to the car.

"Promise me one thing Kens." Deeks said when they were back in the car.

"What?" Kensi asked.

"If I get killed, you won't go out shopping." He said.

"I wouldn't do that." Kensi promised. "Anyway I would be too busy hunting down the bastard that took you from us."

Deeks didn't say anything but reached over and took her hand in his, giving it a gentle squeeze. They continued to hold hands while Kensi drove to the mall that Mrs. Donovan had been spotted in.

"How do you want to do this?" Deeks asked once they got there and entered the massive shopping center.

"How about we split up, you take the left and I'll take the right?" Kensi suggested.

"I don't actually think that will be a problem." Deeks said and directed her attention to a nearby store where they spotted Mrs. Donovan browsing.

They shared a look and headed towards the store.

"Mrs. Donovan, LAPD and NCI…" Deeks just managed to get out before the woman had rounded on them, a gun in her hand.

"Get down!" Kensi yelled and pulled Deeks with her behind a display just as the first bullet flew by.

The calm atmosphere quickly changed with people screaming and trying to get out of the way. Kensi pulled her gun while Deeks did the same, trying to locate the woman in the stampede that had started.

"Damn it where is she?" Deeks called out.

"I don't know." Kensi said, the tightness in her voice made him look over at her.

He felt his stomach drop when he saw blood on her sleeve. Deeks quickly lowered his gun and made his way over to her.

"I'm okay." She said and sighed when she released that Mrs. Donovan was gone. "She got away."

"I'm not worried about her right now." Deeks admitted and gently rolled up her sleeve to look at the injury which was little more than a graze. "It's not too bad."

"I know." Kensi rolled her eyes and grabbed her phone. "We lost her." She said to Callen and then explained what had gone down before she hung up.

"I'm really starting to dislike this woman." Deeks stated and helped Kensi to her feet.

Kensi shared a look with him but didn't say anything as she led the way out of the building.


	18. Chapter 18

Kensi fought not to squirm beneath nurse Deeks' attention as he wrapped a few layers of gauze around her arm while they all stood staring at the screens around them as Eric and Nell worked to track down where the crazy woman had escaped to. When Kensi locked eyes with her partner just as he finished her squirming stopped and she felt the room around them disappear. His eyes held so much worry and affection that her heart skipped in her chest and it took everything in her not to pull him in for a deep and unyielding kiss.

"Got her," Nell finally said with triumph, breaking the duo from their staring contest and bringing their attention back to the room. "But this was an hour ago and I can't tell where she gone from there."

"Mr. Deeks, coordinate with LAPD to get a BOLO started and see if they've gotten anything else on Mrs. Donavon," Hetty said, eyeing the screen carefully.

Deeks and Kensi both got to their feet and began to head out when Hetty's voice stopped them.

"Just Mr. Deeks," she clarified. "We need you here Ms. Blye."

They shared a loaded look before Kensi turned back to the room while Deeks left. The next few hours Hetty had Kensi lip reading about a dozen videos where Mrs. Donavon had been caught on camera but not audio, talking on a cell phone. Finally when Hetty released her for half an hour to go and get Will, Kensi felt mentally drained. Pulling up to the school she tried to put on a better show for Will because she didn't want to bring down his day too. So before climbing out to wait closer to the entrance, she forced a smile on her face that turned into a real one when the boy in question came racing out to wrap his arms around her legs.

"Kensi!" Will squealed . "Where's Deeks?"

"He had to go across town to work for a bit but he'll be back later today," Kensi explained.

"He's okay though?" Will asked with an edge of concern in his voice as he stared up into Kensi's eyes.

"Yeah, bud. He's just fine," Kensi supplied, knowing that he was probably just buried in paperwork and files at the office. He wouldn't go out in the field without her. A trill from her phone let her know she had a text message and after helping Will climb into the car and buckle up she glanced at it.

_Going to be here a while longer yet. Don't wait up for me. X_

Deeks. With a soft sigh she climbed into the driver's side of the car and glanced at Will.

"Looks like it's just gonna be you, me, your brother, and your sister tonight," Kensi tried to smile through the announcement. Realistically she knew that they wouldn't always both be around to raise these kids. Stuff would come up and what mattered was that they were together most of the time and that the kids didn't feel neglected.

"Is Deeks okay?!" Will's voice was definitely panicked now and she began to wonder if his reactions were tied to his parents having left to go out for one night and not coming back alive.

"Definitely," Kensi affirmed, locking eyes with him. "He's just working at the police station today so that we can find our bad lady."

"Can I talk to him to be sure?" Will asked, still worried and it was like a punch in the gut. She knew she would do anything to assure him that both her and Deeks would be around for a long time.

"That sounds like a good idea," Kensi smiled. "I'll call him now before hit the road." Kensi pressed the autodial on her phone '2' and it rang only a couple times before he picked up.

"Well hello, beautiful. Miss me already?" Deeks laid the charm on thick and Kensi couldn't stop her grin.

"Not quite, Romeo. I've got a little boy in my backseat who wants a word with you," Kensi said, trying to convey the seriousness of this request.

"Sure, put him on," Deeks' voice was serious again and she passed the phone back to Will.

"Hi Deeks," Will started off and she watched the flood of relief fill his features when Deeks must have responded. "You're gonna come back right?" Another pause where she assumed Deeks was talking because Will looked a little more at ease as each word filtered into his brain. "Promise?" Another pause before Will nodded in satisfaction. "Okay. Make sure you come say good night tonight." One last pause before they exchanged goodbyes and Will handed the phone back to Kensi.

"We all good?" She asked over the phone.

"I think so," Deeks said, sounding just as tired as she felt. "I know it's only been a few hours but I miss you both. Give him a hug for me, okay?"

"I will and Deeks…" Kensi paused to bite her lip, unsure of the words about to spill from her mouth. "We miss you too."

"See you tonight, Princess," Deeks murmured, letting her words wash over him.

"Yeah, tonight," Kensi murmured back before they each hung up. "I think your brother and sister are gonna start worrying if we don't get back to see them."

Will nodded and they pulled out into traffic to head back to OPS.

"So how was your day at school?" Kensi asked, glancing in the rearview mirror at the quiet boy.

"It was okay," Will answered simply.

"Just okay?" Kensi asked, trying to coax more out of him.

"I guess I made a friend," Will said hesitantly.

"What's his name?" Kensi asked, smiling as she pulled up to a red light.

"Bobby," Will answered. "And he likes soccer too."

"That's great!" Kensi beamed at this news that he was starting to make friends. She would have to make a note to check into this Bobby's parents though before they get too far. Her light finally turned green and after a brief pause she pulled out into the intersection and heard a horn from the distance growing louder until she glanced over just in time to see an SUV barreling at them and she only had time to glance back at Will before her SRX was jolted and the sound of screeching metal filled the cabin. "Will!"

Kensi felt herself floating in and out of consciousness and flashes of red and blue lights around her but everything was blurry and she couldn't decipher anything. A long keening broke the thrum of silence around her and it sounded like her name.

"KENSI!" The small voice called. "KENSI!?"

She focused on that voice and held onto it until she could feel herself being moved from her seat, but try as she might to speak, she was unable to do so.

"KENSI! KENSI?!" The voice continued to call. "Don't leave me!"

Will. She needed to get to Will.

"Will…" She finally managed.

"Don't worry, miss. We're taking him to the same hospital as you and he looks okay," a man above her said and it took everything she had to let his words sink in. "You're going to be okay too. Just hang in there."

Those were the last words she heard before everything finally went black and peace engulfed her.

DKDKDKDKDKDKDKDKDK

A couple hours had passed since Deeks had talked Kensi and he was still buried up to his elbows in files when his cell phone rang again. He didn't even spare a glance at the caller ID before he picked it up.

"Deeks," he answered, his voice tired and tight.

"Mr. Deeks," Hetty responded. "You need to get over to Northwest LA Hospital immediately."

"What? Why? Kensi?" Deeks' body jerked into high alert as questions popped into his brain faster than he could ask them.

"Kensi and Will were in a car accident a couple hours ago but they're both stable now. Will has a broken arm and they have Kensi in a medically induced coma until the swelling in her brain goes down some," she explained.

Deeks felt the air leave his lungs and he fell back into a seat.

"They're okay though?" His voice was choked with worry.

"Yes, but Will has woken up and he's scared," Hetty said.

"I'm on my way," Deeks said and hung up as he got to his feet and raced for his car. No matter how fast he pushed his car, it never seemed fast enough but when he glanced at the clock he realized that he had made it to the hospital in fifteen minutes which probably wasn't as bad as it had felt. He rushed up to the information desk and was about to question his partner's whereabouts when he heard Hetty's voice behind him.

"Come with me, Mr. Deeks," she said and headed toward the elevator.

Deeks visually fidgeted the entire way to room 514 before the door opened and he saw Kensi unconscious in a hospital bed, hooked up to several monitors and IV bags with Will tucked in next to her with his sling-arm thrown over Kensi to keep her close.

"He fell asleep just half an hour ago," Hetty explained. "The doctors and nurses couldn't get him to calm down until he was able to see Kensi and then he wouldn't leave."

Deeks nodded his understanding and tried to swallow past the lump in his throat. They both were pretty cut up and pale looking, though Kensi was most definitely the paler of the two.

"What happened?" Deeks finally asked.

"An SUV ran through a red light and T'd Kensi's side of the vehicle. From what LAPD and our very own can garner, it was an accident and unrelated to any of our cases. She's quite lucky to have only suffered a serious concussion and blood loss. The doctors have told me it's only a matter of a few hours before she'll be awake again and pending any new developments, she can go home in a day or two," Hetty said and Deeks nodded. The news was good all things considered but he wouldn't let himself feel relieved until she was awake and chatting.

"And Will?" He asked.

"Just a few cuts from the glass and a broken arm," Hetty answered.

"Deeks?" Came a young and groggy voice.

"Hey bud," Deeks crossed the room just as Will extracted himself from Kensi's bed. Kneeling down he waited for Will to take the last few steps before hoisting him up into his arms and holding him close.

"She won't wake up," Will sobbed into Deeks' shoulder and Deeks held him tighter.

"She will, bud," Deeks assured him. "She just got a bump on her head and she's resting. She'll be awake in a few hours."

He could tell Will was fighting not to continue crying but it took a while before his sobs slowed and he fast asleep in Deeks' arms. Standing as carefully as he could, he took the seat beside Kensi's bed and tried to recline some to let the boy rest.

"Where are Elijah and Isla?" Deeks asked Hetty in a whisper.

"Mr. Callen has taken them to your home and will stay with them for the night and bring them by in the morning," Hetty whispered back. "Would you like me to ask the nurses to bring in a cot for you and Will to share?"

"That would be nice, thanks," Deeks responded, resting his chin on Will's head as the boy dozed. He knew neither of them would be leaving Kensi alone until she had woken and had been all checked out by the doctors.

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Thoughts?


	19. Chapter 19

A/N: For those who are Americans, I hope you had a great 4th of July. To those of you who are not American, I hope you had a great Thursday!

* * *

Deeks didn't sleep that night.

Instead he lay on the uncomfortable cot, soothing and comforting the little boy that he considered his eldest son, and watched over his girlfriend like a starving vulture.

He watched for any sign of stirring or waking, and when she finally did wake hours later, he was on his feet in seconds, smoothing her hair back behind her ear, their eyes locked as he pressed the call button. Once the nurse had checked her over and left the room again, Deeks lulled Kensi back to sleep with the gentle and rhythmic soothing of his fingers ghosting over her cheek, her ear and through her hair.

The night continued that way. When Kensi would wake he would be at her side, soothing her back to sleep only to then return to Will and do the same, for the little boy would wake up every time that Deeks left the cot. He would insist on seeing Kensi and would cling to her hand with both of his smaller ones until Deeks would coax him back to bed.

Morning came slowly, accompanied by more nurses coming in and out of the room to check on Kensi who was grudgingly waking up and mumbling answers to all the questions asked of her. Deeks watched in mild amusement and very carefully extracted himself from William so that he could stand by Kensi's bed, one of his hands grasping hers.

"Will…" Kensi sleepily asked and squeezed Deeks hand.

"He's okay, he's sleeping right now." Deeks reassured her and sat on the edge of her bed. "You're both going to be okay."

"Where are Elijah and Isla?" Kensi asked, sitting up slowly and grimacing at the throbbing in her temples.

"Callen is taking care of them for now." Deeks explained and got a raised eyebrow from her.

"Callen is caring for the kids? How did that happen?" She lightly teased.

"I have no idea." Deeks shook his head. His face then went from teasing to serious in less than five seconds when his eyes fell onto the deep bruise of her forehead.

"I'm okay Marty." Kensi said, startling him slightly with the use of his first name.

"I know." He nodded and ghosted his fingers over the bruise. "Kens if…If you had…"

"Hey, I'm here." Kensi stated and firmly grasped his hand.

"I know." He repeated and looked over at Will who was still asleep.

Kensi watched him ponder something for a while before she nudged him gently, bringing his eyes back up to hers.

"What's on your mind?" She questioned.

Deeks rubbed a hand against his beard and looked back to Will. "This accident has made me consider a lot actually."

"Like what?" Kensi asked, a strange feeling settled into her stomach.

"If you had…" He trailed off and swallowed around a lump in his throat. "If you had died, then the kids would go to foster care since the only one of us that has legal custody of them is you."

"I haven't really thought about that." Kensi admitted.

"Neither did I until last night." Deeks said. "Look Kensi, I can help you raise these kids and I can act as a surrogate father to them, but I have no legal rights over them. So what I'm saying is…I think that we should consider adopting them."

Kensi thought about it for a moment and bit her bottom lip. "Deeks, if we adopted them then there would be no turning back. If we broke up, you would still be responsible for them."

Deeks let a small smile spread on his face, his hand going to cup her cheek while he gently shook his head. "Don't you understand Fern?" He lightly asked and brushed his thumb against her cheek. "I have no plans on leaving you or the kids."

Deeks…"

"No." He cut her off and rested his forehead carefully against her own. "I'm not going to leave. I love you Kensi."

Kensi sucked in a small breath and brushed her nose against his as she leaned into him, their lips just a centimeter apart. "I love you too." She said and closed the small space between them.

The kiss stayed soft, Deeks ever mindful of Kensi's injuries. The two of them pulled apart seconds later and shared a smile before they both looked over at the cot to see Will watching them.

"Good morning buddy." Kensi said and pat the spot next to her.

Will quickly got up and made his way over, and with Deeks help, he settled in between them.

"Are you okay?" William asked, oblivious to the adults previous conversation.

Kensi smiled at him and tickled his sides lightly before she answered. "You bet I am."

Will giggled and leaned into her, his eyes seeking Deeks for further reassurance.

"Kensi needs to stay here in the hospital for a bit longer, but then she will come home with us." Deeks nodded and saw confusion cross his son's face. "Kensi hit her head really hard and the doctors just want to make sure that everything is okay before she can go home."

Seemingly content, Will curled into Kensi's side and fell back asleep, having not slept much the night before. It was then that Kensi looked between the two and noticed the dark circles under Deeks eyes.

"Did you sleep?" She asked and grasped his hand before she got a mildly sheepish look as an answer.

She didn't have much time to ask anything else though as the voices of the other two kids could be hard bouncing down the hall just seconds before Callen walked in with them hoisted in his arms.

"Good you are both awake." Callen said, looking slightly frazzled and very out of his element.

He quickly deposited the children onto Kensi's bed and took the plastic chair next to it, noticing with a smile, the cot that had been brought in.

"How were they last night?" Deeks asked while Isla climbed into his lap.

Callen looked at how at ease Deeks was with the little girl and felt a small smile tease at the corners of his mouth.

"They didn't sleep much." He admitted and saw Kensi's face cloud over with concern. "They were worried about you and Will."

"We are going to be just fine." Kensi said.

"Yes you are." Hetty's voice came into the room followed by the woman in question and the rest of the team all of whom gave Kensi and Will a once over to ensure themselves that everything was alright with them.

"How are you feeling?" Nell asked and leaned against the wall.

"I'm okay, what about you Will?" Kensi looked at the little boy who shrugged his eyes on the thick cast that had been placed on his broken arm.

"You know what Will, I brought something today that might make that cast a bit better." Nell said brightly.

Will looked up at her with curiosity and smiled when she pulled out a series of different colored markers.

"Can we all sign your cast?" Nell then asked.

"Cool!" Will said and held his arm out for everyone to sign.

Each of them took turns with the colorful markers, writing their names down and creating drawings that the little boy looked at with joy and awe. It was Eric's drawing that impressed him the most and that frankly surprised everyone with the skill that was presented in it. The geeky tech had drawn a vibrant picture of a dragon near the top of the cast that was battling a little boy wearing a cape and crown and wielding a sword.

"Who's that?" Will pointed to the boy.

"Well his name is William Andrews of course." Eric stated matter-of-fact and got a beaming smile from Will.

The team stayed for a while before Hetty noticed Kensi's eyes start to droop and Deeks starting to nod of himself.

"I think we should probably leave them alone to rest." Hetty stated, stopping all conversation almost instantly and in a way that was slightly eerie.

"How about I take the kids for a bit and you can get them later?" Sam offered, looking at Deeks who looked reluctant to leave Kensi.

"Are you sure?" He asked, feeling both hope at staying with Kensi and quilt for passing the kids onto someone else.

Sam saw the look in Deeks eyes and nodded. "Yeah I'm sure. You both look beat and I have kids so I know what to do to keep them busy."

"Thanks Sam." Kensi said and touched Deeks hand to draw his attention to her and away from any argument that he might have put up. "Will, Elijah and Isla, the three of you are going to go with Sam for now but we'll see you later."

Will bit his bottom lip and let his gaze drift between Kensi and Sam before he nodded and slid off the bed. His siblings took his queue and did the same. After a few sleepy goodbyes and promises to see them later, Sam shuffled the kids out of the room and was soon followed by everyone else, leaving Kensi and Deeks alone in the room.

"You should get some sleep." Kensi said and cupped Deeks cheek, her thumb running over the slightly puffy skin under his left eye.

"I'm not the one that got into a car accident." He pointed out and got a one shoulder shrug from her.

"I'm fine Marty." Kensi said and wrapped her arms around his neck, welcoming his arms around her in return.

"I really do love you." Deeks said just loud enough for her to hear.

"I love you too." Kensi said and pulled back and scooted over on the bed to make room for him.

He looked at the spot briefly and carefully lay down beside her, welcoming her head on his shoulder as she adjusted so that she was lying with her left leg over his and her arm resting on his chest. It was a position that they had become used to after months of sharing a bed, and one that they were both comfortable with.

Deeks gently pulled her into his arms and allowed his eyes to close, quickly falling asleep.


	20. Chapter 20

It was only at Kensi's adamant insistence that Deeks pick up the kids and go home that he eventually caved and left her alone in the hospital. She had reasoned that she had several nurses and doctors to keep an eye on her and the kids would need him to instill a bit of normalcy by having him around for the night. He saw her logic and grudgingly agreed after making her promise to call him for any reason at all or if she needed him to bring her anything. They both knew she wouldn't call because of her stubbornness, but he insisted that she promise regardless. When Deeks pulled up to Sam's house everything appeared to be quiet and peaceful and he stole a moment to take a deep breath before he made his way to the front door. This was his first time with just him and the kids for more than just an hour or two while Kensi showered or ran an errand or two and he now fully understood how Kensi must have felt her first day with the kids at the house. After a minute he finally climbed out of his car and made his way to the door. Once he rang the doorbell it was like chaos had exploded behind the door and childlike screams could be heard through the thick wooden door followed by the stampeding of several children.

"Everyone settle down!" Sam's voice could be heard through the door and Deeks couldn't fight the grin on his face. Clearly Sam wasn't having the easiest time with 5 children at once, but he couldn't really blame the guy anyway. When ex-Seal came to the door Deeks was surprised to see him looking a little worn down and just a little frazzled. "Thank God you're here."

"They weren't bad were they?" Deeks asked, already dreading the talk he would have to have with the kids if they had misbehaved.

"No, but it's like between the five of them they could produce a city's worth of energy off each other with all the running and bouncing off the walls," Sam sighed. "I think they should sleep for ages tonight."

"That's great," Deeks smiled ruefully.

"How's Kensi doing?" Sam asked as he let the detective into the house.

"She's doing much better. Much more alert and aware and ready to bust out of there," Deeks chuckled. "I should be able to pick her tomorrow around lunch but I think she's gonna be on desk duty for the remainder of the week."

Sam nodded. "We'll make sure to keep her supplied with donuts and coffee to appease her some."

"Deeeeeeee!" Came a small squeal as Isla ran as fast as she could at him, wrapping her arms around his knees.

"Hey squirt, how's it going?" Deeks smiled down at the girl and ruffled her dark curls.

"Where Ken-i?" She asked, looking around his legs.

"She's coming home tomorrow, but I thought we could go home now," Deeks said solemnly but tried to keep a small smile on his face so she wouldn't get more worried.

"O'tay," she sighed. At the time both boys had finally slowed down enough to see that he had arrived and they bolted over.

"Deeks!" They both shouted and joined their sister in wrapping their arms around his legs.

"It's gonna be awfully hard to go home with three kids wrapped around my legs…" Deeks sighed dramatically before the kids chuckled and let go of his legs. "Alright, everyone say 'thank you Sam' and let's get going."

There was a chorus of thank yous and Deeks gave one last wave to his coworker before they all headed to the car and he got them all in car seats and buckled in. The drive went pretty smoothly with Isla and Elijah half napping and half talking while Will remained silent for the car trip. When he pulled into the driveway he had to carry in a half asleep Isla while Will and Elijah trudged along behind him. Once inside, Monty pounced on the arriving family which woke Isla and drew giggles from the boys who had to contend with the dog's licks of greeting.

"Easy Monty," Deeks shook his head at the dog in mirth as the animal herded the boys inside. "Hey Will, can you check to see if Monty's food and water dishes are full for me?"

"Yeah," the boy readily agreed and went to check the dog's dishes while Deeks got Elijah and Isla propped up on the couch and turned some cartoons on for them. He could hear Will scooping up more food for Monty as he made his way to the kitchen to browse for quick meal ideas.

"How does everyone feel about spaghettios and grilled cheese?" Deeks half shouted so all three kids could hear him.

A general response of "yeahs" and "okays" could be heard so Deeks got to work with the easy meal. When Will wandered into the kitchen, Deeks paused and knelt before him, knowing that something was bothering the eldest boy.

"Are you sure Kensi's okay?" He asked, his lower lip wobbled a little, betraying his emotional state and he combed a hand through the boy's hair.

"Yeah, bud. She's gonna be just fine and she's coming home tomorrow," Deeks assured the boy.

"She's not mad at me or anything? For getting into the accident?" Tears welled in the boys eyes and started to in Deeks' as well at his words.

"Of course not," Deeks held his arms out and Will surged forward into his arms and cried his anguish out into his shirt. "The accident was not your fault or even Kensi's fault. Someone else just wasn't paying attention."

"B-but what if I'm bad luck and you and Kensi die too and it would be all my fault!" Will sobbed and Deeks tightened his hold on the boy and rubbed his back in slow circles.

"You are not bad luck, Will," Deeks said firmly. "You and your brother and sister are the best thing to happen in mine and Kensi's life in a long time. We both love you so much and we wouldn't trade you or your brother or sister for anyone else in the world. I can't promise you that bad things won't happen, but I do know that as long as we're a family we're going to make it."

Will nodded and finally pulled back some to look into Deeks' eyes.

"Now why don't you go check on your brother and sister and watch some cartoons while I finish up here," Deeks said, swallowing past the emotion in his throat.

Will nodded again before giving him one last tight hug and then racing off to the living room. Deeks finished making dinner for them all and brought everything to the table while the kids were distracted.

"Alright kids, dinner is served!" Deeks announced from behind them and they all leapt up off their seats and raced to the dining room. After turning the TV off, Deeks hoisted Isla into her highchair and tucked in the other boys' seats before they each dove into their food. When everyone was finished, Deeks ushered the youngest two to the living room where they played with a few of their toys and Will eagerly helped clean up after their dinner until it was all done. "Thanks Will." Deeks gave the boy a solid pat on the shoulder and they both made their way back to the living room.

"Can we play the matching game?" Will asked Deeks as they entered in and Elijah perked up at the suggestion.

"Sure!" Deeks agreed, not quite sure what he was getting himself into.

"It's just a game where you flip over two cards and have to match the animals," Will explained at the perplexed look.

"That sounds like fun," Deeks shrugged. "Why don't you go get it while Elijah and I clean up these toys?"

Will nodded and raced off while they tidied the living room up some. When he returned both boys eagerly opened the box and began setting the squares up in some semblance of rows and columns while Deeks and Isla watched on warily. After a quick tutorial, Elijah went first, then Will, and then it was Deeks turn.

"I think I'm gonna need some girl power to play this game… Isla, will you help me?" Deeks asked the toddler seriously and she leapt into his lap to face the game. After a little direct instruction she picked a couple squares to turn over and they all took their turns again. They ended up playing two games with Will winning both before they were all yawning. "I'm calling bath and then bed time!" He declared and received halfhearted whining in return. "I'm thinking lady first and then you boys are next!"

Isla went easily enough and after he set her in her crib he returned to hustle the boys up the stairs and got them both into the bath at the same time to save himself an extra one. The whole process took close to an hour and he had to carry Elijah into bed as he had fallen asleep mid-pajama dressing. Deeks practically had to drag himself into his and Kensi's newly shared bedroom and he barely got down to his boxers before he just collapsed into bed face first.

The next morning was a rush as Deeks had accidently slept in and it took several trips to finally remember everything they all needed for the day. By the time they hit the road both Isla and Elijah were screaming bloody murder while Will was covering his ears and cringing at the high pitched sounds emanating from his siblings. Deeks tried his best to talk them down from whatever it was they were screaming about, but when they pulled up to Will's school he eagerly climbed out for a minute to give the oldest boy a hug and a promise to bring Kensi with him at pick up. With a deep breath he was about to just open the back door and talk with the other two when the long line of other adults coming to drop their kids honked their car horns at him until he grudgingly climbed back into the driver's seat and drove off. By the time he arrived at OPS both kids were beginning to tire out from their spontaneous tantrum and Deeks' head was throbbing in agony. He knew Kensi was great with kids and definitely carried her share of taking care of the kids, but he was so worn out he wasn't sure how he was going to stay awake until later that night. Hoisting both kids into his arms while they rapped their arms tight around his neck with small sniffles he managed to get them inside and down the hall to the daycare with only a couple raised eyebrows from Sam and Callen.

It was clearly going to be a long day.


	21. Chapter 21

Deeks head felt like it was splitting open as he sat in the back of the Challenger with Callen and Sam in the front. Nell and Eric had gotten a hit that morning on the bank accounts that the Donovan's had, indicating that someone had somehow gotten into the frozen assets and made them available.

The team did not believe that Mrs. Donovan had the skills to unlock the accounts on her own, resulting in Nell and Eric tracking the IP address to a residential area not far away from where the Donovan family had lived. While none of them really believed that they would find the person helping Mrs. Donovan, or the woman herself, they were all itching to wrap this case up and call it good.

"Are you okay back there?" Callen asked and turned in his seat to face Deeks. The younger man had his eyes closed and head tipped back while the pallor of his skin had taken on a sickly green tinge.

"Peachy," Deeks grimaced.

Callen gave him a calculating look but refrained from saying anything else and just turned back so that he was facing forward.

They quickly pull up to the house that the techs had tracked down, and spotted Mrs. Donovan's car out front along with another one that they didn't recognize. Callen signaled for Deeks to go around the back as soon as they had gotten out of the car. Deeks nodded and circled around while Callen and Sam approached the door and swiftly knocked on the wooden surface.

"Mrs. Donovan, NCIS federal agents, open up!" Sam called out.

There was a quick scramble in the house and the sound of muffled talking. Callen and Sam shared a look at stepped back so that Sam could kick the door in, Deeks followed suit with the back door just seconds later.

They filtered into the house, checking each room in fast pace until they came to the last room and faltered in their steps. Standing in front of them was Mrs. Donovan and a man that they didn't know. They were both only partially dressed and were beat red, staring at the floor.

"Get dressed." Sam snapped and took mild amusement at seeing them scramble to do just that.

Once they were dressed and cuffed, the group made their way to the boatshed where they were met by Hetty and Nell.

Deeks sat heavily in a chair as Sam and Callen went into the room that Mrs. Donovan had been placed in and sat down across from her. Neither said anything for a few minutes and watched her squirm in her seat uncomfortably.

"It wasn't supposed to happen this way." She blurted out just moments later.

"What wasn't?" Callen asked.

"David and I wanted to find a way to be together and to get Michael out of the way. I never thought that he would…That he would kill Mike." She stammered. "He was supposed to talk to Mike to get him to back down and sign the divorce papers that I had drawn up a few months ago."

"Instead he hired two hit men to kill your husband." Sam said and saw her nod. "But why do that? Your husband had terminal cancer."

A look of shame crossed her face before Mrs. Donovan spoke again. "I know and I feel terrible that I had asked for a divorce knowing that he was dying, but our marriage had been falling apart for years and I didn't want the insurance money that I would get when he died. I didn't want the reminder."

"But you took the money anyway." Callen stated and watched her head snap up and confusion cloud her eyes.

"No I didn't." She shook her head. "I called the insurance company and informed them that I didn't want that money."

"Yet the money was taken and your accounts that were previously frozen were opened again." Sam stated. "And do you honestly want us to believe that you had nothing to do with any of this when we not only found you with the man that supposed set up a hit to kill your husband, but you also pulled a gun on two of our agents and nearly shot one."

"I…"She stuttered and seemed to recollect herself. "I had to keep them away from David. I-I can't lose him as well."

"This man had your husband killed. He is potentially the one that killed your whole family." Callen stated bluntly. "He hired two people to murder your husband, and then he collected Michaels insurance money and accessed your bank accounts. He took your whole family from you and You were protecting him?"

"You don't understand." She sighed heavily, as if they were completely missing the point.

"Then explain it to us." Callen said. "Honestly I don't believe that he did this all on his own. In fact you going shopping just after your husband and family was killed does not show you as being innocent of any of this. I personally feel that you had something to do with everything."

Callen and Sam then saw something snap in her eyes, all the innocence that she had been showing was quickly pushed to the side to show steely determination and deep loathing. She then leaned back in her chair and rolled her eyes.

"David didn't hire someone to kill your husband did he?" Sam asked, understanding settling onto him. "It was the two of you that killed him and ambushed our agents wasn't it?"

Mrs. Donovan huffed and glared at them. "They were getting in the way." She snapped.

"And your husband?" Sam asked.

"He had gone back to the doctors only to be told that he wasn't as terminal as we thought he was." She ground out. "Apparently he was going to live much longer than we thought."

"And that didn't bode well with you." Callen nodded.

"I wanted to pathetic bastard dead." She growled. "I wanted to divorce him but he refused and claimed that he would expose my relationship to David to everyone that I know. My worthless family wouldn't have done well with that information. When Michael died, it was only a short time before they put two and two together. I had been stupid and had purchased a gun shortly before killing him. My father had seen the purchase."

"So you killed your whole family as well." Sam said, trying to wrap his mind around the fact.

""Life is much better without them all nagging me." She claimed and let a smile spread across her face.

Sam and Callen shared a look and got up, leaving the room and a smirking Mrs. Donovan.

"She seriously did all of this just to get away from her husband and family?" Nell asked in shock.

"It's amazing what people will do to the ones that they are supposed to love." Deeks stated from personal experience. "I'll call LAPD and have them come and get them."

"I think Mr. Donovan's family should be informed." Hetty said with a pointed look to Callen who nodded and went to make the call.

"LAPD will be here shortly." Deeks said and pocketed his phone. "Now if you'll excuse me, I should go and get Kensi before she tries to break herself out of the hospital."

"If she hasn't already." Sam smirked.

Deeks nodded in agreement and left the room and collected the kids before they headed to his car and to Will's school. The drive didn't take long and as he pulled into the parking lot, he wasn't at all surprised to see Kensi waiting for him near the front doors.

"Let me guess, you've already signed all the needed papers to get released." Deeks said when she climbed into the car.

"The sooner I could get out of that room the better." Kensi nodded and turned to greet the kids, all of which were overjoyed to see her. "I think tonight should be a pizza night." She said and smiled when they beamed at her.

"Pizza it is then." Deeks agreed and drove them home where the kids proceeded to run off to play, leaving Kensi and Deeks alone in the living room.

"What's wrong?" Kensi asked when Deeks walked into the kitchen and grabbed some more Tylenol.

"Isla and Elijah screamed the whole way to OPS this morning." He explained and put his water bottle on the counter and walked up to her, cupping her face in his hands. "What did the doctor say about your head?" He asked, checking her eyes.

"I'm okay Marty." Kensi said. "He gave me some meds to take, but the concussion has subsided."

"Good." Deeks said and placed a kiss on her forehead. "I have no idea how I would do any of this without you."

"The house would probably be in shambles. That or you'd somehow manage to blow it up." Kensi teased and got a smirk out of him in return. "Come on." She grabbed his hand and led him to the couch where they both sank down and Kensi curled up at his side.

"What do you think the odds are of getting someone to babysit all three kids?" Deeks asked. "I think we're overdue for an actual date."

Kensi chuckled and nodded. "I think we're doing this a bit backwards." She pointed out.

Deeks chuckled as well and found her lips with his own in a soft kiss that made them temporarily forget about anything else. The silence didn't last long though and was broken by the high pitched scream that all kids seemed programmed with.

"They need volume controls." Deeks grimaced and rubbed at his temples.

Kensi went to agree, but stopped short when they heard the unmistakable sound of glass breaking, shortly followed by another scream and one of the kids crying.

The adults shared a panicked look and bolted up the stairs and towards the sound of the kids. Lying on the floor was a decorative glass plate that had once sat on a shelf in the hallway. The kids all looked at the shattered glass and then to the adults. Isla had tears streaming down her cheeks and upon further inspection; Deeks saw the crimson of blood on the little girl's foot.

"What are you guys doing?" He snapped and saw Elijah's bottom lip start to tremble.

"We were playin'." He said and started to cry.

Deeks sighed and rubbed at his eyes before he leaned down in front of the boy and pulled him into a gentle hug.

"It's okay." He said and looked at each child in turn.

"We sorry daddy." Elijah said, causing Deeks to instantly freeze, his eyes finding Kensi's shocked ones before they fell onto Will who had tears filling his.

He gave Deeks a quick look before he ran to his room and slammed the door shut behind him. Kensi went to follow him but stopped when Deeks grasped her arm.

"Let him be for now." He said and lifted a still crying Elijah into his arms while Kensi picked up Isla who still had silent tears streaming down her cheeks. "He looked rather angry. I'll talk to him in a minute."

"Are you sure?" Kensi asked, rubbing Isla's back.

Deeks nodded and led the way down stairs. They were both in shock over Elijah referring to Deeks as daddy as they made their way to the couch and Kensi found something for the kids to watch after they had calmed down.

"I'm sorry." Elijah said, his finger going into his mouth where he started to chew on it.

"Why are you sorry?" Kensi asked.

"Will's angry." He said, his lip trembling again.

"Sweetie, Will can be angry if he wants but that doesn't mean that you did something wrong." Kensi explained and gently rubbed his arms. "Will is upset because you called Deeks daddy and Will misses your real mommy and daddy a lot still."

"Oh." Elijah said and looked down at his feet.

"Hey listen buddy." Deeks said, kneeling in front of him so that he was at eye level with the little boy. "You and your brother and sister can call us mommy and daddy if you want, but you don't have to."

"But I can?" Elijah asked. Isla was watching them with interest.

"Yes you can." Kensi agreed and leaned into Deeks. "We're going to take care of you just like your mommy and daddy did."

"K," Elijah said.

"K," Isla parroted.

"Let's find something to watch." Kensi declared then and sat down with the kids.

Deeks gave her a warm smile and headed up the stairs and knocked on Will and Elijah's bedroom door before he walked in and found Will sitting on his bed with a stuffed animal giraffe clutched to his chest.

"You're not our daddy. Our daddy is dead." Will stated.

"I know that Will." Deeks said and sat down beside him, a hand going to the boy's back. "I know that you miss your mom and dad and I understand that. But your brother and sister are still too young to really understand that your parents are dead. Kensi and I…We are your parents now bud. You don't have to call us mom and dad, and you don't have to recognize us as being your parents. That is your choice, but it is also your sibling's choice as well. They can call us mommy and daddy as well and though that is going to upset you, it is their choice."

"I know. It's just…I miss them a lot." Will said and let a sob break free from his lips before he started to cry heavily.

"I know buddy." Deeks said and pulled him into his arms.

He slowly started to rock back and forth until Will's crying started to slow and his breathing evened out, suggesting that he had fallen asleep. One look at him confirmed that suspicion and had Deeks slowly standing up and lowering the child onto his bed before he pulled the blanket up to Will's chin and placed a barely there kiss on his cheek.

Deeks then found a spot on the floor next to Will's bed and watched the boy sleep. He wasn't sure how long he was there before Kensi walked in with Elijah fast asleep in her arms.

She put the boy in bed and took up a spot next to Deeks.

"Isla's asleep as well." She said and rested her forehead against his shoulder. "I'll let them sleep for a bit and then order dinner."

"Okay." Deeks agreed and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "I think we should find someone that Will can go and talk to about his parents. He was really upset tonight and I have a feeling that he isn't comfortable with talking to us about them yet. He seems to be holding everything in."

"I agree." Kensi sighed and stood up, ruffling a hand through the child's hair. "I want him to be happy here and with us."

"He will be." Deeks said confidently. "He just needs some time."

Kensi nodded and wrapped her arms around Deeks as they stood there and watched Will sleep.

* * *

A/N: The case does end a bit abruptly, but to be honest we just wanted to wrap it up and focus more on the family.


	22. Chapter 22

Disclaimer: We do NOT own the show...Though that would be amazing since we both have some pretty impressive student loans that need paying off.

* * *

"I'm not taking another step until you tell me where we're going…" Kensi dug her heels into the pavement and Deeks who had been holding her hand jerked to a stop.

"Come on, a little faith partner," Deeks charmed and tugged her a little further. "Just a few more steps."

With a long and defeated sigh, Kensi resumed something similar to a death march forward. Deeks had pulled her away from the house just fifteen minutes ago after Nell and Eric had showed up at the house, assuming kid-detail while her partner grabbed the car keys and pulled her forcefully from the house with a wave back at the kids who seemed to be at least partially in on the plot because they hadn't said much other than their own goodbyes. It had been a week since the accident and Kensi was recovered minus a few bruises and Will seemed to be cheering up some. She was about to start grumbling again when they came to a halt and he pulled the blindfold from around her head so that low set sun was visible in an array of oranges, pinks, and yellows.

"We're at the beach…" Kensi was thoroughly confused as she took in the mostly abandoned beach setting with her brows furrowed.

"For a picnic," Deeks continued, feeling the nerves creep in a little. "For our first real date."

Kensi bit down on her lower lip to keep from grinning like an absolute idiot, but the attempt was lost and she chuckled under her breath.

"It's perfect," Kensi smiled as she took in the blanket tucked under her partner's arm and the basket clutched in his other hand.

"You're sure? I know it's not a fancy dinner out with dancing or anything, but – "

Kensi silenced him with a chaste kiss on the lips that lingered for just long enough to shut him up.

"It really is perfect," she smiled, squeezing his hand tight as she pulled him onto the sand to find a spot for their dinner. They walked until they were close enough to the water but far enough where they wouldn't have to worry about the tide stealing their food. After laying out the blanket they each sat side by side and Deeks pulled out their food, portion by portion.

"We've got tortellini, garlic bread, and a fruit salad," Deeks said as he pulled it out and set it before them.

"Looks great," Kensi beamed, already serving up portions of each for both of them. At first their talk was all about the kids and the funny stories relating to them that they hadn't had a chance to relay to the other party, but by the time they finished eating their talking had dwindled to comfortable silence as the sun sank hallway past the oceanic horizon. Deeks turned to stare at her profile as the different color lights played off her tanned skin and he felt his breath catch.

"God, I love you, Kensi Marie Blye," Deeks sighed, unable to look away when she turned to catch his gaze and blushed.

"I love you too," she whispered back, her eyes staying locked with his.

It was as if a gravity field was suddenly created between them and neither had a choice but to meet in the middle as their lips sealed together and for the life of them they couldn't pull apart. Deeks moved a hand to cradle her cheek and pull her in even closer and she whimpered into the kiss as their lips parted and their tongues dueled. Unable to resist the inexplicable pull to her partner, Kensi leaned closer until he was lying out on his back and Kensi was straddled above him, letting her body press into his.

"Kens…" Deeks groaned her name and let his other hand grip her hip to keep her still as both became more than breathless. "Not sure we should be doing this here, Princess."

"Well we can't do anything at work and we can't do anything at home…" Kensi sighed, unwilling to give up her pursuit of tasting more of her partner turned more.

"Maybe once the kids are asleep," Deeks murmured against her lips, trying to delay her because he wasn't a saint and he had already waited what seemed like forever for her.

"Doesn't mean we can't get to second base out here," Kensi smirked into the next kiss before following the column of his throat down to his t-shirt line.

"K-kensi, you're killing me," Deeks groaned, flexing both hands on her hips in hopes of grounding himself.

Peals of laughter from nearby broke them apart and they both blushed.

"Fine, but you owe me some fun tonight," Kensi pouted.

"Is that a promise?" Deeks asked with his trademark smirk.

She shoved him in the shoulder before moving off him and over.

"Do you wanna go home or do you want dessert first…?" Deeks asked, already knowing the answer.

"You brought dessert too!" Kensi straightened and tried to peak into the basket.

"Of course, I know better than to do a date without sweets with you," Deeks grinned as he pulled out two large pieces of chocolate cheesecake in tupperware. Kensi nearly squealed as she took the Tupperware from him almost forcefully and a fork to begin inhaling it. "Whoa there tiger!"

Kensi was halfway through her slice before Deeks started in on his, increasing his gusto when he realized she would probably move onto his piece if he didn't hurry. In the end she ended up stealing a few bites of his despite his hurried intentions, but seeing how happy she was made it worth losing a few bites. When they had finished eating and packed up all the scraps, Deeks lay out on his back and pulled Kensi to lay beside him so her arm was slung across his torso as she snuggled in closer.

"Can I ask you something?" Deeks broke the silence finally.

"Hmmmm?" Kensi was comfortable and getting just a little sleepy.

"If your friends hadn't died and left you three adorable kids, would you ever have wanted some of your own?" He asked, trying to keep his voice casual.

"I think so," Kensi answered hesitantly. "I think if they had your blonde hair and blue eyes, I'd have wanted a few."

Deeks' breath caught in his throat at her words.

"What about you?" Kensi asked, not knowing if his silence was good or bad. For all she knew he never wanted kids.

"I don't know, a little girl with her mom's chocolate curls and know-it-all attitude sounds pretty close to perfect to me," Deeks murmured, pleased when she squeezed him tighter in response to his words. "Of course I love Will, Elijah, and Isla – don't get me wrong. If they are all the kids we ever have I will be the happiest man in the world."

"You're sure?" Kensi asked, holding her breath.

"Positive," Deeks assured her with a kiss on the forehead.

"Look at us, talking kids and forever," Kensi grinned sheepishly. "And we're only on our first date."

"We do have this all backwards, don't we?" Deeks chuckled. "I don't think I'd have it any other way."

"What do you say we head back and rescue Nell and Eric?" Kensi asked with a sigh.

"Yeah, I'm sure the kids have driven them mad by now," Deeks grinned at the thought.

Grudgingly they both sat up and collected the blanket before making their way back to the car with their hands linked together.

DKDKDKDKDKDKDKDKDKDKDKDKDKDK

"I want another story," Elijah pouted long after Isla and Will were sound asleep.

"Come on, bud," Deeks sighed. He knew Kensi was waiting for him in their bedroom to continue what they had started before and he'd already read Elijah four stories. "I think this is something else… what's really up?"

Elijah looked thoughtful and shy before finally answering. "Dad used to sing to us before bed and it always helped keep the bad dreams away."

Deeks felt his heart stutter in his chest as he nodded. "Would you like me to sing you a song? I can't promise it would be very good, but I'm willing to try for you."

Elijah nodded his head fervently and Deeks cleared his throat, thinking of any child like song he might know the lyrics of.

"Somewhere, over the rainbow, way up high  
There's a land that I heard of once in a lullaby

"Somewhere, over the rainbow, skies are blue  
And the dreams that you dare to dream really do come true

"Someday I'll wish upon a star  
And wake up where the clouds are far behind me  
Where troubles melt like lemon drops  
Away above the chimney tops  
That's where you'll find me

"Somewhere over the rainbow, bluebirds fly  
Birds fly over the rainbow  
Why then, oh why can't I?

"If happy little bluebirds fly  
Beyond the rainbow  
Why, oh why, can't I?"

Deeks finished in barely a whisper and was pleased to see Elijah fast asleep. Climbing to his feet and trying not to crack too many bones in his legs and hips from sitting too long, Deeks eased back to the doorway quietly only to see Kensi leaning against the doorway with watering eyes. She bit her lower lip and silently beckoned him from the room and out into the hallway.

"You, Marty Deeks, are the most amazing man in the world," Kensi said in a hushed voice before capturing his lips with hers and leaning into his warm body.

"Wanna show me just how amazing?" Deeks asked with a cocky grin and a gentle squeeze to her backside which earned a soft squeak from her.

"I might just have to," Kensi smiled, tugging on his hand to lead him to their room.


	23. Chapter 23

A/N: We uh...Kind of forgot about the social worker, so here he is.

* * *

Jeffry McDowell sat across from Kensi and Deeks, flipping through one of the many folders that he had brought with him. The social worker had shown up shortly after the family had finished with breakfast and after having gone through each room with a fine toothed comb and checking on the children's wellbeing, he had directed the new couple to take a seat on the couch.

"The children are in good health and seem to be happy here." Jeffry stated and glanced up from his folder. "I do want to see you get them to a doctor soon though for their checkups, but other than that you seem to be doing very well by them. I have however noticed that William seems a bit put off by something."

"He's still having a hard time coping with his parent's deaths." Deeks stated. "He will seem perfectly fine for days and then suddenly something seems to remind him of his parents and he'll break down a bit."

Jeffry nodded and consulted his folder again before he jotted something down.

"Have you looked into a therapist for him?" He asked and leaned back in his seat.

"We have a friend that is a therapist." Kensi nodded. "We are going to try and contact him and see if he can talk with Will."

"Good, I think he would benefit from some minor therapy. I feel that with time he will be just fine, it just takes a while to get over a death of someone that you loved so much and had your whole life." Jeffry claimed.

"I lost my father when I was fifteen." Kensi announced. "I know it can be really hard."

"Yes, plus he is still just a child. He might not fully understand everything that happened." Jeffry said and pulled a folder closer to him. "Now I do need to update my information so I'm going to have to ask you a few questions."

"Okay." Deeks said and saw Kensi nod.

"When I was first here, it was just Kensi and the children so I need to know if Mr. Deeks is now living here." The social worker started.

"I am." Deeks nodded.

"Okay, and what is the status of your relationship as of today?"

"We're dating." Kensi said and almost cringed when the social worker raised an eyebrow.

"Has the change in your relationship impacted the children in any way?"

Kensi and Deeks shared a slightly confused look before Deeks answered.

"They don't seem impacted at all."

"Some children seem to be impacted when the adults in their life change their relationship." Jeffry stated. "But I'm glad to hear that they haven't reacted badly to the change. Now are there any questions that you have for me?"

"Actually yes." Deeks said and glanced at Kensi and squeezed her hand gently. "We want to look into adopting the children."

Jeffry leaned back again and rubbed a hand across his face and sighed.

"That isn't going to be as easy as you might think." He started. "First you are going to have to contact a family court and get appointed a judge. However, I can tell you right now that the chances of you being allowed to adopt the children together are not very high."

"Why not?" Kensi asked a bit sharply.

"The main reason is because of conflict of interest. A judge is not likely to appoint two friends as the legal parents of one child, not to mention three. This is because of the fact that if you were to break up and move apart, then you would then have to go back to family court to arrange custody rights. You would find it much easier to adopt the children if you were married." Jeffry explained.

"So to adopt them we'd have to get married?" Deeks slowly stated.

"If not, then it would more than likely end up being just Kensi who could adopt the children easily since she is their guardian. Kensi can continue to just be their guardian, but if a biological family member shows up one day and wants the children, then they would more than likely be put in that person's care."

"Even though we've been taking care of them?" Kensi asked.

"Yes." Jeffry nodded. "Now I wouldn't suggest rushing into anything, but if this is something you want to look into then I can go about helping you to find a judge and a family court."

"We'd have to really think about it." Kensi said a bit faintly.

"Of course." The social worker nodded. "I think I've covered everything that I need to for now. I'll stop in again at some point to check in with you all. If you have any questions or concerns then you can always call me."

Kensi and Deeks both nodded but didn't say anything as they walked the social worker out and then sank back down on the couch where they sat in silence for several minutes, just listening to the kids as they played in their rooms.

"I'm uh…I'm going to go call Hetty and see if she can give us a number to contact Nate." Kensi said and quickly got up and left the room.

Deeks just continued to sit where he was, his mind racing and going over everything. He had thought that adopting the children with Kensi wouldn't entail too much and would be fairly easy, but marriage had never really been on his mind before.

He had never really thought about living the married with children life style, and though he was now essentially the father of three children, marriage was a concept that still seemed astronomically huge. He loved Kensi and the children, but he wasn't really sure if he and marriage would mix. He didn't exactly have the best experience with married couples before.

"Are you okay?" Will asked at the bottom of the stairs.

Deeks head snapped up and he nodded. "I'm okay."

Will bit him bottom lip and shifted from foot to foot before he made his way over to Deeks and sat down.

"Are you and Kensi going to get married?" He asked.

Deeks sighed and leaned into the couch. "Were you listening to our conversation?"

"Sorry." Will said a bit sheepishly. "You said that you want to adopt us."

"Yeah bud, we do." Deeks gave him a small smile. "What do you think about that idea?"

Will shrugged and looked down at his feet. "I don't know."

"You know that we are never going to try and replace your parents."

"I know that." Will nodded. "I know that you and Kensi care about us and want to take care of us. I just miss my mom and dad."

"We know someone that we think would be good for you to talk to about your mom and dad." Kensi said, coming back into the room. "His name is Nate and he's really nice."

"What would he do?" Will asked.

"He'd just talk to you and help you." Kensi sat down next to him.

"Would he make me forget them?" Will asked a bit fearful.

"No buddy, no one can make you forget your mom and dad." Deeks quickly stated. "He would just talk to you about your parents and what you are going through and feeling."

Will seemed to think about it for a moment before he shrugged. "Okay."

"Are you sure?" Kensi asked.

"Yeah." Will nodded and looked between the two of them. "So are you going to get married?"

Kensi and Deeks shared a look before Deeks answered. "That's a lot to think about bud. We don't want to go into something that we are not ready for. Getting married is something that is really big and needs a lot of thought."

"But if you don't get married then you can't adopt us." Will pointed out.

"That's true, but that doesn't mean that we can't keep taking care of you and your siblings." Kensi said and squeezed his shoulder. We are going to try and take care of you and your siblings the best that we can, no matter what we decide."

"Are we going to live with you forever?" Will asked and saw them both smile.

"Well someday you'll grow up and move out, but until then you're stuck with us." Deeks teased and got a smile from Will.

"Are you always going to live with us Deeks?" Will questioned.

"I love you guys and I love Kensi so I don't see why I would leave." Deeks nodded.

"Good, I like having you both here." Will smiled and got up from his spot and headed back upstairs.

They both watched him leave before Deeks fell back into his own mind and Kensi glanced at him.

"You look like your head is about to explode." She lightly teased.

Deeks gave her a lopsided grin and shrugged. "It's a lot to think about."

"Yeah it is." Kensi agreed and ran a hand through her hair. "How about we take everything one day at a time and see where we go from there?"

"That sounds like a plan to me." Deeks nodded and wrapped an arm around her shoulders and placed a kiss on the top of her head before they both fell into contemplative thought.


	24. Chapter 24

Kensi was just getting to sleep after her mind had spent the last few hours spinning around the concept of marriage, specifically to her partner, when a shrill cry filled the second floor and before she could even register herself moving she was standing in Isla's doorway and already reaching for the crying girl. Her face was screwed up in what must have been a toddler's agony as Kensi tried to soothe and calm her. She was partly successful by the time Deeks joined her in the small bedroom looking a little dazed himself. Isla stopped screaming, but she still sniffled and let out soft choking sobs that broke Kensi's heart to hear.

"She's not calming down," her voice was etched with panic and in typical Deeks' fashion he stepped up and began smoothing Isla's wild curls back from her face as he spoke soft gibberish to her. She calmed enough for Deeks to really take a look at her with her fist shoved into her mouth.

"Hey, baby girl, can I see your mouth?" Deeks asked, trying to gently tug the girl's fist from its new home. Isla was hesitant to allow him this consolation but eventually she was too tired to fight him off and he was able to peer into her mouth. "Looks like she's got a couple new teeth coming in. Hopefully the last two."

"All of this for two teeth?" Kensi whispered, her voice sounding horrified. "I would've thought someone was trying to torture her!"

"I'm sure it feels that way to her," Deeks said sympathetically. "Tomorrow we can talk to a pharmacist about options for helping her sleep or maybe numbing the area a little bit, but for now I think all we can do is a baby Tylenol and let her sleep with us for the night."

Kensi nodded her agreement while biting her lower lip. It was killing her to hear Isla crying and unable to really do anything other than what Deeks' plan had laid out.

"I'll go get the medicine if you wanna take her into our room," Deeks said before placing a chaste kiss on Kensi's forehead and sweeping past her to the door.

Kensi watched him go for a second before following after and detouring to their bedroom with the sniffling toddler. Taking a seat at the edge of the bed, she continued to hold Isla close and tried to soothe her with long strokes up and down her back.

"It's alright sweetheart," she murmured. "I've got you and the hurt will go away. How about I tell you about the time Monty ate four whole sponges?"

Isla's cried hiccupped to stop and she pulled back to give Kensi a curious look. "Spun?"

"Yeah, like the kind we use in your bath to get you clean," Kensi smiled at the toddler's face now alight with genuine curiosity. "One day I was helping Deeks carry in groceries and we set the first few bags on the floor once we were inside. Monty was soooo excited to see us, but we had another load of groceries to get before the food spoiled so we had to ignore him for a minute so we could get the rest first. When we came back with the last load we saw he had found the bag of dish sponges and was scarfing them like it was a large steak!"

Isla erupted into giggles. "Siwee Monny!"

Kensi returned the smile and looked up to see Deeks standing in the doorway with a large grin plastered on his face.

"That is one of my favorite Monty stories," Deeks smiled. Hearing her tell that story and the way her face lit up made him want to kiss her senseless, but with Isla in her arms, that might get a bit awkward and he had to shrug the urge off for now and save it for a time when it was just them. "Alright, baby girl, I've got some medicine that will help you feel better and it tastes like…" he quickly scanned the bottle "cherries".

Isla's face screwed up in disgust and she shrunk back into Kensi's arms to distance herself from the medicine.

"Aw come on, it can't taste that bad," Deeks cajoled. "Here, I'll try some too."

Deeks put a drop on his tongue and his face screwed up in disgust. "Clearly these people don't know what cherries taste like…"

"Deeks!" Kensi frowned. "You're supposed to be helping…"

"Right… well it does taste kinda gross, but sometimes we have to eat gross stuff so that we can feel better," Deeks said, inching closer to the pair on the bed. "So what do you say? Just one taste and tomorrow we'll get something else and you won't have to take this again."

Isla looked thoughtful before nodding her grudging compliance and opening her mouth wide. Deeks moved quickly before she changed her mind and placed a few drops of the medicine into her waiting mouth before her face screwed up in disgust.

"Yeck!" She squeaked. Kensi bit back a short laugh at Isla's face.

"All done," Kensi assured the girl who was smacking tongue and lips to try and rid herself of the foul taste. "How about we all lay down now and try to get a little more sleep."

Isla looked as if she wanted to do anything but nap, but submitted herself to laying down between the two adults. Once all three had settled, Isla curled into Kensi's side and buried her face in her pajama shirt.

"Momma…" she murmured before she stopped wiggling and went still in sleep.

Kensi chewed on her lower lip and locked eyes with Deeks. That single word had melted her heart and she felt her stomach flip. She knew from the beginning that she would be acting as a surrogate mother to the three children, but for them to view her as a mother – as their mother, made her insides grow warm and fuzzy. Tears welled in her eyes as the wave of emotion threatened to overwhelm her but she swallowed them back. Deeks nodded his understanding and gave her a soft smile. He understood.

"We should probably sleep some too," Deeks whispered.

"Yeah, good idea," Kensi whispered back, letting her eyes drift shut. Eventually the sounds of Isla's soft breathing and Deeks deeper breathing lulled her into a deep sleep.

KDKDKDKDKDKDKDKDKDKDKDKDKD

Deeks woke up to some gentle tapping on his cheeks and the sound of little girl singing. He couldn't help the smile on his face when he opened his eyes to see Isla cheerfully squishing his cheeks and tapping them to a song only she knew. He was about to tease her for it when he saw a flash from the corner of his eye and turned to see Kensi already dressed for the day and holding a camera.

"You are a dead woman…" Deeks growled playfully.

Isla squealed when she realized her playmate was awake.

"I say we attack Kensi!" Deeks murmured to Isla who nodded and he swooped her up into his arms and began to chase down Kensi.

"DEEKS!" Kensi squeaked as she dodged his first attempt and then bolted for the stairs.

"MWHAHAHAHAHAHA! Let's get her!" Deeks shouted, holding Isla out a bit to lead the attack.

"What's going on?" Will asked sleepily from his bedroom door.

"Kensi's got a camera and we have to take it back!" Deeks said dramatically.

Will and Elijah only had to share a look and a shrug before they picked up the chase.

"GET DA CAMWA!" Elijah's battle cry rang down the stairs as a train of people pursued a more panicked Kensi.

"Not cool!" Kensi shouted behind her between laughs as she attempted to dodge all three parties, but eventually the boys got her around the knees and dragged her to the ground for a pile of arms and legs.


	25. Chapter 25

A/N: This chapter is more Will centric. Oh and we don't own the show...Though that would be awesome.

* * *

The park was busy with the hustle and bustle of many families as they milled around and basked in the sun. It was a glorious day and no one seemed to be able to stand being cooped up inside.

Kensi and Deeks didn't really feel the effects of the sun though or listen to the sounds of children's laughter and the harsh tongues of scolding parents. Both of them had their eyes on the two children playing in front of them, but their minds were miles away with Will and Nate.

"Do you think we did the right thing, sending Will to talk with Nate?" Deeks asked and grimaced slightly when the Popsicle Isla was snacking on started to ooze down the front of her shirt.

He and Kensi had both thought that a frozen treat would work out best for the little girl as a means of soothing her sore mouth. Now both kids were covered and sticky.

"I think he has a lot on his mind and is dealing with a lot." Kensi nodded and leaned into his side. "Nate has always been good with people, I think Will is going to like him."

"I just hope he can help." Deeks sighed and grimaced again when Elijah put his sticky hands on his pants. "I think they're going to need a bath." He added and got a smile and chuckle from Kensi.

* * *

Will sat in a chair much too large for him, shifting a slinky from one hand to the other and watching the many different colors as they shifted and reflected the lights in the office.

"Kensi and Deeks are worried about you." The voice of the man across from him said, causing Will to look up at Nate. "They say that you are having a hard time adjusting to living with them and with dealing with what happened to your parents."

"They died." Will said and looked back at the plastic toy in his hands.

"Yes they did." Nate nodded and leaned forward a bit. "They died and you know that there was nothing that you could have done to save them, right?"

Will shrugged and wiped at his eyes before he put the toy down. "I know, but I still feel bad."

"Why do you feel bad Will? Do you feel bad because you couldn't help them, or because they died?" Nate gently pushed.

"I...I got into a fight with my mommy. I told her…I told her that I hated her and I didn't hate her. I loved her. But then she and daddy got in the car and they never came back. They always came back." Will said, tears rolling down his cheeks. "I miss mommy and daddy and I'm sorry that I said I hated my mommy."

Nate reached over and put a hand on Will's knee and gave it a comforting squeeze. "Your mommy knew Will. She knew that you didn't mean what you said. It's something that all mommies and daddies know, that no matter what their kids say that is mean, that they didn't mean them. Your mommy knew that you loved her."

"Really?" Will hiccupped and ran the sleeve of his shirt across his nose.

"Yes really." Nate nodded and handed the little boy a tissue. "Your mommy and daddy loved you very much."

"Do…Do Kensi and Deeks love me?" Will bit his bottom lip.

"Yes, they do." Nate softly replied. "They love you and your brother and sister. They want to take care of you and make sure that you are all happy and safe."

"I love them too."

"Do you think you can talk to them when you get upset?" Nate asked gently.

Will thought about it for a moment and shrugged his small shoulders. "Yeah I guess I can. I just don't like seeing them upset."

"They don't like seeing you upset either. But Will, they do really want to help you if you'll let them." Nate explained.

"Okay." Will nodded. "I'll talk to them if I get upset."

"Okay." Nate parroted and smiled at him. "I know that it might not be easy and that it might hurt to talk about your parents, but I do think that it will help you to feel better after a while. It's a good thing to be able to remember the people that we love and that loved us. I can promise you that it will get easier to handle, it will just take some time."

"What if I forget them?" Will asked with fear in his eyes.

"I don't think you have to ever worry about forgetting them." Nate shook his head. "They were your mom and dad and they loved you very much. I don't think you'll ever truly forget them."

Will wiped at his eyes and took a deep breath before he nodded his understanding of what Nate had said. They stayed in silence until a knock on the door indicated that Kensi and Deeks can made their way back and that Nate and Will's time was up.

Nate opened the door and took a step back so that the rest of the family could filter in. "Come on in, Will and I just finished."

Kensi and Deeks both gave Nate a smile and made their way to Will who hugged them both.

"Are you okay buddy?" Deeks asked, ruffling the boy's hair.

"Yeah." Will nodded and wiped at his eyes again.

Kensi looked at Will's tear streaked face and then to Nate who gave a slight shrug of his shoulders to indicate that everything was okay.

"We talked about a lot today." Nate said and smiled encouragingly at Will.

"Nate said that it would be good if I talk to the two of you when I get upset." Will said, not looking at them.

"You can always talk to us." Kensi nodded. "We want to help you as best we can, and we want you to be happy."

"That's what Nate said." Will stated.

"Well Nate is a very smart man." Deeks praised and squeezed Will's shoulder. "We love you Will, and we will do everything that we can to help you and your siblings."

"I love you guys too." Will said and allowed Kensi to hoist him into her arms and give him a tight hug.

"Are you ready to head home?" She asked him when the embrace was broken.

"Yes." Will gave a quick nod.

Kensi, Deeks and Will said their goodbyes to Nate and Deeks picked up the two younger kids while Kensi continued to carry Will who snuggled into her slightly.

Once the family reached home, Deeks ushered Isla and Elijah upstairs so that he could get them in the bath and hopefully unstick their fingers which seemed to be permanently cemented together with Popsicle. While Deeks set up the bath, Kensi ordered pizza and instructed Will to find a movie for them to watch.

"Did you like talking to Nate?" Kensi asked when she took a seat on the couch.

"He's nice." Will nodded and sat down beside her. "He said that I'll never forget my mom and dad. Do you think that's true?"

"Yes." Kensi answered quickly. "My dad died a long time ago now and I still remember him. I do a lot of different things to remember him. I visit his grave every year and bring flowers on his birthday, and I just remember all of the fun things that we did together."

"Can we do that for my mom and dad?" Will asked.

"Yes, if that's what you want to do then we can." Kensi smiled at him.

"If you and Deeks become my mom and dad, will they stop being my mom and dad?" Will asked with a confused look on his face.

"No." Kensi shook her head. "While Deeks and I could become your mom and dad, they will always be your real parents. No one will ever or can ever replace them."

"So they'll be my real parents forever." Will said.

"Yes." Kensi agreed. "They will be your real parents for ever and ever."

Will seemed to process that information for a minute before he looked at Kensi.

"I guess it would be okay if you and Deeks were my mom and dad now." He announced in as serious a tone as he could muster before he hopped off the couch to put the movie in.


	26. Chapter 26

Kensi stretched out lazily in bed, reaching her left arm across to feel for her new favorite snuggle buddy when she felt cool sheets. A moment of silence and her brain put together what had happened earlier that morning. All three kids had woken them up that morning around seven, complaining about being hungry and Deeks had rolled out of bed and assured her that he had it and she should sleep in for a little longer. She couldn't deny that her body was still catching up with taking care of three kids and then on top of the recent nightly activities that were happening with her partner… It was a blissful type of exhaustion and one she would rather keep if it meant life could continue on as is. Climbing out of bed, Kensi quickly dressed and did a quick run through the bathroom to brush her teeth, tie her hair up, wash her face, and put the minimal makeup on for the day. It was Sunday, so there was no urgency to actually try on her appearance, especially considering that Deeks had made many a remark that she was gorgeous without ever trying. A blush crept up her neck and into her cheeks at his previous words. She really wasn't sure what she had done to deserve him, but she would be damned if she ever let go now.

Finished with her morning routine, Kensi headed down the stairs quietly having heard some whispered giggles and the background noise of some cartoon show. Suspicion sank in as she made it to the bottom of the steps and saw Deeks passed out and belly up on the sofa with all three kids muffling giggles as they put various forms of makeup on his face. Will was armed with eye liner and drawing pictures on his forehead, while Elijah and Isla had different colors of lipstick and smearing them on his nose, lips, and cheeks. Kensi had to stuff her fist into her mouth to muffle her own laugh. Clearly the kids had been fed and they had all moved into the living room to watch some cartoons and Deeks had fallen asleep sometime after.

Quietly pulling her cell phone from her back pocket, she snapped a few pictures of the scene before the kids looked up, matching versions of anxiety and worry on their faces for having been caught. Kensi gave them all a reassuring smile and put a finger to her lips to keep them quiet. They all visibly relaxed and returned the smile, remaining quiet as she had instructed them. Silently she held up her hands for them to copy and smiled huge. The boys caught on faster and Isla followed suit and Kensi snapped a few more pictures. Then she moved in closer to get a few close ups of Deeks' new face artwork. Once she was done with the phone camera, she held out her hand for the makeup, still smiling to show them she wasn't angry at all and then she stuffed the items in her back pockets. She silently urged the three kids to move away from Deeks and return to their seats watching cartoons, though looking sheepishly guilty and excited all at once. Finally, Kensi backed away to the stairs again and this time made her presence more known.

"Gooooood morning, everyone," Kensi smiled brightly and winked at the kids just before Deeks flew up from his sleeping position looking very bewildered.

"Morning," he said gruffly back as he stretched his back out some.

The kids all giggled and tried not to stare at their handy work.

"How about we go to the beach today?" Kensi asked with a large grin and Monty got to his feet and padded across the room with a short 'woof' of approval before the kids joined in with a cheer. "I'll get you kiddos ready while Deeks cleans up the breakfast mess and grabs his board." She hoped the suggestion would allow him not to see a mirror before they left.

Her plan was futile because only five minutes into getting ready she heard Deeks from the other floor.

"What – how?!" His voice was squeaky and comical, eliciting an eruption of giggles and laughs from the three children and Kensi. Seconds later they all heard him coming up the stairs and Kensi shouted a playful order to the kids.

"Run!" She half laughed and shouted as she hoisted Isla into her arms and they all scattered on the second floor to run and hide.

It took several attempts and at least another hour before Deeks was cleaned up and the kids settled down enough to finally walk the few blocks to the beach.

"So I thought today maybe we could try some boogie boarding," Deeks offered to the boys with a grin. "We can rent a few and it'll be step one toward surfing."

"Yeah!" Both boys picked up their pace the last remaining stretch of the way as the water came into view.

"I'm just gonna rent us a few boards and we'll probably go over there," Deeks said pointing to a small stretch of smooth sand with some smaller waves.

"You're sure you'll be able to keep an eye on them both at once?" Kensi asked, her brows knitted in worry.

Deeks closed the few steps distance between them and gave her a chaste kiss on the lips. "Yes, mom, I'll get vests for them and they won't leave my sight."

A thrill ran through her at his kiss and it took real effort to roll her eyes at his words after a moment. "We'll wait nearby there and build a sand castle then."

Deeks nodded and followed the boys to the rental shack for the boards and helped them each pick out an appropriate size and then whatever style they wanted. Once they had both vests and boards, they headed back to where Kensi and Isla had spread out a variety of multicolor buckets and shovels. They both looked up when the boys neared and waved as they tiptoed into the cold water. The girls giggled as the boys jerked back out of the water and back in to adjust to the temperature difference.

Kensi had to admit that she did lose herself in watching Deeks instruct the boys in the more shallow waters, how to rest their weight onto the boards just as a wave came behind them to ride it in, but luckily Isla was completely engrossed building her own impressive castle that spanned a few feet. She had to give the toddler props for creativity and ingenuity, assuming that maybe she had gotten this skill from her biological father who had been a civil engineer. The boys tired out after a couple of hours in the water and even Isla was nodding off a little as she filled her biggest bucket with sand. They had just turned in the boards and vests when Kensi's cell phone shrilled, shifting their attention for the moment. Kensi moved a half asleep Isla from one arm to another so that she could answer.

"What's up, Eric?" She asked, already knowing that something must have come up for work.

"We need you both in here," Eric said, his voice tight with tension. "We've got a missing kid."

"We're leaving now," Kensi nodded, her voice at once serious. Hanging up the phone she shrugged Isla higher up onto her hip and shared a loaded glance with her partner. To Deeks credit, he never asked any questions and hoisted Elijah onto his one hip and took hold of Will's hand as they hurried at a fast walk back to the house to get the kids changed and into the car that was already packed with not two but five go-bags as they speeded off to OSP.


	27. Chapter 27

Deeks leaned against the doorframe leading to the living room and watched with a small, content smile on his face as Kensi read "Harold and the purple crayon" to the children who were enthralled and silently listening to every word she read. Isla was sitting on Kensi's lab while the boy's flanked her like bookends.

It was wonderful to relax after the day that they had had. It had started badly with the call stating that a child had gone missing, and had only gotten worse from there.

Kensi and Deeks got stuck interviewing the parents of the missing child, Ben Harvel, and hadn't been able to get much information out of them aside from the fact that Ben had been put to bed around eight the night before and when his mother went to check on him that morning he was gone. The window was open with a ladder underneath, but there were no prints, no DNA and frankly, nothing to go on.

As far as Deeks was concerned, it was a case more suited for the LAPD, but because the father, Travis Harvel, was a commanding officer in the Marine's, it was their case instead.

An Amber alert had been issued and the team had followed every single tip and lead that they could get, but had ended up calling it a night, feeling defeated and downhearted at the thought of a six year old child missing and God knows where.

"Another mommy?" Elijah asked when Kensi had finished reading.

Deeks looked at Kensi quickly to see how she would react to the little boy referring to her as mommy and felt his heart warm and swell with even more love for the woman when she smoothed his hair down and kissed his head.

"Just one more." Kensi said. "How about you and your brother go pick a really super one to read?"

"K," Elijah beamed and jumped off the couch with Will right behind him.

Isla had fallen asleep in Kensi's lap and was snoring lightly.

"I'll go put her to bed." Deeks walked into the room and leaned down to scoop Isla into his arms.

"Thanks." Kensi said and leaned up to place a gentle kiss on his lips. "I'll bring the boys up after this story."

"You know you spoil them right?" Deeks lightly teased.

"I know." Kensi lightly smiled and brushed Isla's hair from her face. "You should get her to bed."

"Yeah," Deeks said and shifted the child in his arms a bit. "I'll see you up there in a little bit."

Kensi nodded as the boys came rushing back to the couch. Deeks gave them one last look and then started to climb the stairs to Isla's room. Once there, he went to flip on the light but stopped and instead found the rocking chair in the little girls room and sat down.

Deeks slowly started to rock back and forth as he watched Isla sleep peacefully. He wouldn't admit it to anyone other than Kensi, but this case had already greatly impacted him. Even though the children had only come into their lives, and they had become a family a few months ago, any case that involved children ate at his heart and made him think of nothing but getting home to his kids.

It didn't matter to him that the children were not related to him or Kensi or that none of them even looked remotely like he and his girlfriend, they were still his, still theirs. He had learned from a very young age that blood and genetics don't make a family, love did, and that was all that mattered.

And seeing pictures of the missing boy, and seeing how much he resembled Elijah, it had been almost too hard to bring himself to question the parents while the whole time they answered questions his mind kept flashing to his own young son. He knew that Kensi had seen his struggle, he had seen hers as well, and they had made it through and were both dead set on finding that little boy safe and sound and bringing him back home to his parents.

"I thought you were putting her to bed." Kensi said after she had tucked the boys in.

"I will, I just…I need to hold her right now." Deeks admitted and felt her warm hand rest on his shoulder.

"We'll find Ben." Kensi said in a tone of voice that suggested she was not only trying to convince Deeks, but herself as well.

"I know." Deeks nodded and looked up at her. "I just keep thinking, what if he was one of ours, what if one of our kids went missing some day."

"They haven't Marty; they're all right here with us." Kensi said.

"But they could." Deeks stated. "One day we could wake up just like the Harvel's and find that one of our kids is gone."

"Deeks…" Kensi said gently and ran her hand through his hair soothingly.

"I know." He sighed and ran a hand down his face. "I just keep thinking about that family. All day long we followed dead end leads and hints that brought us nothing but headaches and frustration. We have nothing to tell them. We can't promise that we'll bring him back, that they will ever see their child again and it tears me up Kens. One day you can be a happy, loving family, and the next everything is taken away from you. In the blink of an eye, your whole world changes."

Kensi walked over so that she was standing in front of him and crouched down so that they were eye level.

"We will find him honey." She said, the term of endearment slipping out and causing a small smile to touch his lips. "We'll find him and bring him home to his parents, it just might take some time."

"I wish I had your optimism." Deeks bit his bottom lip and rand the knuckles of his hand across Isla's tiny cheek.

Kensi stood back up and ran her hands down her pajama clad legs, biting her own lip as she thought about everything that Deeks had said and everything that was still coursing through her own head and heart.

"Bring Isla to our room; I'll go get the boys." She said and saw Deeks give her a questioning look. "They'll sleep with us tonight that way we can make sure that they are safe."

Deeks got out of the rocking chair and placed a kiss on Kensi's forehead. "Thanks." He said and left the room and headed down the hall.

He could hear Kensi as she went into the boys room and got them out of bed. It was shortly after that Will and Elijah climbed into the center of the queen sized bed and Deeks placed their sister between them.

"Make sure to leave us some room." Kensi lightly laughed when the boys started to sprawl out on the large bed.

"Okay." Will said and started to almost herd his brother into place.

Kensi and Deeks watched them for a few minutes and smiled as they started to slowly fall asleep.

"They're amazing." Kensi softly said into the otherwise silent room.

"They really are." Deeks agreed and wrapped his arms around her and placed a kiss under her ear. "I love you." He then whispered quietly.

"I love you too." Kensi turned in his arms and kissed him deeply.

They broke apart shortly after and climbed into bed, the kids between them.

* * *

With morning came the sound of Kensi's phone ringing. She quickly reached over and grabbed it off her bedside table before she got up and left the room in the hopes of allowing the rest of the family to keep sleeping.

"Blye," She answered the phone once she was alone in the master bath. "We'll be right there." She sighed after listening to Hetty's message.

"Wha's goin' on?" Deeks mumbled when Kensi lightly shook his shoulder.

"Another little boy was reported missing." Kensi regretfully informed him.

"Another one?" Deeks sat up, fully awake now. "Ben just went missing yesterday morning."

"I know." Kensi placed a hand on his cheek. "Let's get the kids breakfast and head into work."

Deeks nodded and slipped out of bed to get dressed while Kensi headed down stairs to start breakfast. Once they were fed they headed to OPS where they were met by a very somber group of agents.

"Michael Bayard, age six." Nell started and put up a picture of the child.

It startled Deeks and Kensi when they looked at the boy, who looked very much like Ben Harvel.

"His parents put him to bed last night around eight and when his father went to check on him this morning he was gone. The window was open and there was a ladder under it. No DNA or other evidence was found at first, but there was a fingerprint. The problem is that we ran it through the systems and it doesn't match anyone on file." Eric announced.

"There is one person that claims to have seen something, but we know how the last round of leads ended up leading us." Callen ran a hand down his stubbled chin.

"Yeah, nowhere." Deeks groaned. "Do you think we have a pattern here?"

"Two six year old boys that look almost exactly the same." Kensi nodded. "Yeah, I think that could be a pattern."

"Makes you wonder if there will be another boy taken by morning." Sam said with sadness in his voice. "We have nothing to give to these parents and we can't truly tell them that we'll bring their sons back."

"Check with the witness and see where their tip brings you." Hetty looked to her team. "Let's do everything that we can to get these boys back to their parents.

The two sets of partners looked at each other and had a silent discussion before Kensi and Deeks nodded and headed back out the door and to the address of the Bayard family, hoping that soon they would be able to return not only this couples son but the others as well. Both couldn't help but think about their own kids at home, and felt the drive to do everything that they could possibly do to get those boys home where they belonged.


	28. Chapter 28

Disclaimer: We don't own the show...Though that would be awesome!

* * *

Another day of tirelessly chasing leads finished with the team minus Deeks upstairs halfheartedly consuming food for the soul purpose of needing the energy to continue on with their hunt for the two boys who desperately needed them. Deeks had already inhaled a couple pieces of the pizza that Hetty had brought in, insisting that they all take a moment to eat, even if it was upstairs around all the computers where she normally forbade any food. After he had finished his two pieces he had insisted Kensi stay while he checked in on the kids who were still in the daycare for the 14th hour running.

"Why are we still here?" Will finally asked the question while Deeks joined them all at a small kiddie table while they ate.

"I'm sorry bud," Deeks sighed, knowing they sensed the strain and stress. "Two little boys went missing in the last two days and we're trying to find them so they can go home again."

Will's eyes widened slightly, but he nodded his understanding. Deeks wondered if he had been expecting the truth from him and he vowed to always be 100% honest with the boy. He was young, but losing his parents had forced him to grow up just a little faster and Deeks could tell he appreciated being treated like he was older.

"Did bad people take them?" Will asked, sounding as serious as the situation warranted.

Deeks nodded solemnly. "We're going to find them though and make sure the bad person goes to jail."

Will nodded and ate a spoon full of spaghettios before speaking up again. "You guys do what you have to do. We'll be okay here."

Deeks forced a smile and wondered how Will could sound so much older than he was and yet so sure. "Thank you for being such a trooper – all of you." He looked around the table at the three kids.

"Hey," Kensi's voice sounded from by the door and she came and brought a small chair to sit at the table with them. Deeks' eyes were drawn to her face first and then the rest of her. She looked exhausted and defeated, but she tried hard to keep a smile on her face for the kids. He could tell by the quick glance she gave him that there had been a development and not a good one. His stomach clenched and he began to feel nauseas, but swallowed it back. The kids needed them to be neutral at worse and optimistic at best. He didn't want his and Kensi's lives to give them nightmares.

Kensi talked with the kids for several minutes, soaking up the innocence of their day and activities and letting it wash over her. She would cling to this when she and Deeks had to leave them again in just a few minutes. When the kids began to wonder back toward the toys and away from Kensi and Deeks she finally got to her feet and held her hand out to Deeks. It was time to face the music. He followed her out without a word, but judging from the look on his face, he knew something had gone wrong. When the daycare door was shut behind them, he spun her around with a light tug on her hand so that she faced him.

"What happened?" He asked with low voice that she barely heard.

"LAPD got a call about a boy's body found and he matches our boys' description," Kensi breathed and the pain in her voice was evident even if the shining of her eyes didn't give her away.

Deeks felt the air leave his lungs and for a moment he just felt lost before he pulled Kensi into his arms and held her tight. They leaned against each other for a minute, soaking up all the strength each needed to continue on.

"We'll get the bastard who did this," Deeks said almost calmly. "They'll never see the light of day again."

Kensi nodded, unable to say anything in case all that came out was sobs. That boy deserved justice now, and they could get that for him.

"What's next?" Deeks asked, knowing Hetty or Callen had given them instructions.

"Forensics is on site now," Kensi started. "Callen and Sam are already on their way to the site and we're supposed to follow as soon as we can."

"Okay," Deeks nodded and gave her one last squeeze before releasing her. "Let's finish this."

Kensi nodded and pulled further back so they could make their way to the car. When they arrived at the site they were both relieved to see that the body had already been taken away and it was just the crime scene itself to evaluate. Callen appeared to be in a deep discussion with an officer and when Sam noticed them, he met them halfway.

"Is it?" _Him._ The all-important word she couldn't get out, but they all heard.

Sam nodded darkly. "Michael Bayard. He showed repeated signs of physical abuse, but nothing sexual."

"Small blessings," Deeks muttered under his breath.

"How was he killed?" Kensi asked, trying to keep her voice from wavering.

"Gunshot to the back of the head," Sam said, clearly thinking of his own girls tucked away at home and how he would feel if it had been them. Child cases certainly made it more difficult to remain objective, but who could blame them. "Callen and I are going to go tell the parents once he's done getting the known details from the officer."

Neither Kensi or Deeks envied their team mates next task, but they were both secretly glad it wasn't them going. Callen had finished talking with the officer and was just approaching the rest of them when he began talking.

"I need you two to stay here and process anything they may help us get a lead," Callen said before rubbing his face tiredly. "If this is a serial case, then this guy is going after another kid tonight and we need to keep this from happening again. Relay all info to the brain trust and I'll call you with further instructions. Let's hope this guy missed something that we can nail him to the wall with."

They all nodded their agreement and went their separate directions for the time being. It was an exhausting and stressful several hours and Deeks noticed Kensi was even beginning to nod off every once in a while when information wasn't being relayed to them. He couldn't blame her of course because it was nearing two in the morning and they both had been up early to get going on this case. When he was about to suggest she take a nap in the car for a bit and he could take over for the next couple hours she only glared at him before he could utter the words.

"Don't even," Kensi said a bit harshly and then her face softened. "I don't think I could anyway, not with all these images in my head."

Deeks nodded his agreement and knew they'd both be having nightmares that night if they got any sleep.

"We're all done here," a forensics tech said as he pulled back his paper cap and face guard. "Everything is being sent to the labs or has already been sent and a rush has been put on it."

"Use Henrietta Lang's name if you have to to get them to hurry," Kensi insisted, trying to look more awake than she was.

The tech nodded grimly. "I don't want to jump ahead of ourselves, but there were a few pieces of forensics that this guy either didn't think of or forgot. I hope you catch this sick bastard."

The partners nodded, the intent and gravity of the case reflecting in every motion. "We will."


End file.
